A new Comrade (Final Fantasy XV)
by Diran Jiru
Summary: The normal story of Final Fantasy XV, with the same cast of characters, but with the addition of a new character. One that will witness moments that were never seen in the game. They will take place in moments that I loved in Final Fantasy XV, with some ideas.
1. Chapter 1

A/N

So, this will be the new story. A game I love, and with a character I made for it. The first chapter's short, as I wanted it to start off with the main cast, but didn't want to drag it on for long.

It isn't necessary, but I would love feedback and comments, or pointers of mistakes, or critiques of the story. Criticism is something I'll have to learn to take if I'm gonna be a Manga Artist.

Chapter 1

Finishing off a giant robotic mech, known as magitek armour, the black haired boy in front of it sighed, making his weapon disappear, catching his breath. Four other walked to him, all wearing nothing but black, but having variety in their styles. He looked back at them, there being a blonde, one with darker brown hair, slicked back, and two other with brown hair, one a shaved and the other not. The blonde stretched. "*Phew* Glad that's over." He said.

"For now." The shaved man said, clearly sounding and looking older than the other four. "With this out of the way, you have access to the roads to Lestalum, but that doesn't mean you guys are in the clear. You've got as much coming after you as you did here." He explained.

"Kinda already had that figured out, Cor." The black haired boy said.

"We'll keep his highness safe by the time we get there." The slicked back haired guy said, in his deep and strong voice.

"I expect nothing less from you, Gladio. Same as Ignis." Cor said, forgetting to mention the blonde, in which he crossed his arms. "Hey, what about me?"

Gladio, having the slick back hair, and the muscules, and Ignis, having the brown hair, with the glasses and rather slim body, both looked at him. "You do a fine job, Prompto but it could be better." Gladio commented.

"Hey, as long as he stays alive, that's good enough for me." The black haired boy added, looking at them.

Prompto's lips grew into a smirk, looking at them. "See? Noctis knows talent when he sees it."

"Alright, enough messing around. You've got a place to get to. Now get to it." Cor pointed, looking at them, then walking away.

"Cor's right, let's get a move on." Gladio said.

"I'll fetch the car." Ignis said, in his british voice. With what they had to do done, they were then going past a road blockade, it being a metal door. With this where they needed to go now unlocked, their objective wasn't far off. It wouldn't take them too long to get where they needed to go.

The ride wasn't going to be long, but they quite the road ahead of them. When they entered the new region, it was totally new to the group, but they wouldn't let it slow them down. With a whole new enemy against them, this was child's play if it was going to stop them.

They made a quick stop at a gas station, to refuel on their car, and on their stomachs. They all had this meal called, "Kenny's original Recipe, as they ate at a place called 'The Crow's Nest.' Noctis felt a vibration on his leg, as it made a noise too. He pulled out a phone, slid his finger across the screen and placed it against the side of his head. "Hello?"

"Hey, is this Noctis?" A female voice called through the phone.

"Yeah, who's asking?" Noctis asked.

"It's me, Iris. Are you close to Lestalum?" She asked, revealing her identity, although to Noctis, it was a reminder.

"We're getting there. We're just having a refuel on the car." Noctis explained.

"And food." Prompto called out.

"Was that Prompto?" She asked.

"Yup."

"Well, I won't interrupt your 'refueling.' Have fun you guys." Iris said, as a farewell, and hung up. Noctis than put his phone away, and began to eat his food.

"Calls the prince instead of his own brother." Gladiolus said, looking at Noctis.

"Well, take it up with her when we get there." Noctis pointed out, taking a bite out of his food. He then looked at Ignis, seeing him write on his notebook. He then looked out side, to see a lake with a big monster on it, knowing that it wasn't doing anything wrong. After they finished their meal, and their car was all refueled, they found they're way to Lestalum. The city wasn't big, but there was quite a bit of houses and buildings, as well as the reactor at the far back of the city. They worked their way around the city, to find the hotel where they were to meet Iris. As they made it, they were welcomed by Iris, her being in her hooded vest, and her red and black flannel skirt. She smiled, approaching them. "Hey, Noct, Ignis, Gladly and Prompto. It's good to see you guys again."

Prompto smiled. "Same to you, Iris."

"You guys must be tired. Come on, I'll show you guys your room." Iris said, with a smile, as she then went up the stairs.

When they were shown their room, they came across an elderly man and a child, the child calling out for Noctis. "Prince Noctis!" He said, in an excited tone of voice.

The elderly man then held him back. "I'm sorry, your highness. He hasn't taken manners into consideration." He apologized.

Noctis shook his head, showing he was royalty. "Uhh, it's fine, really. I prefer it that way anyway." He pointed out.

"You're very kind your highness." The elderly man said.

They then heard Gladiolus get a phone call, and he answered it. After the called ended, he looked at the others. "Tomorrow, we're heading out, Cor found something that they want us to look at." He said.

"What's the wait? We could go now, right?" Prompto asked.

"Night is coming. We should rest here, if we wish to avoid the daemons that arise." Ignis pointed out. Prompto nodded in agreement.

"Alright, tomorrow morning, we go." Noctis stated. And with that planned, the rest of the night was talking, with some funny story telling, mostly Gladiolus catching up with his sister Iris, and how things have been. With all the story telling and talking done, they went to bed, and slept until morning. The night was short for them, and they all slept rather well. No disturbances, just sleep for the group. With their night well slept, and having food before hand, they were in the car and ready to go, to go find what it was they were told to see.


	2. Chapter 2

A/U

Here we are, Chapter 2. So, ever since the updates of Final Fantasy XV came out, where you were allowed to play as the other characters and it would add their weapons, I wanted to add that to their arsenal in the story to make it feel up to date. It's strange I bet, but it was something I thought would be nice to add. So, as usual, reviews are appreciated, be honest, point out mistakes, or suggestions. Thank you and have a good day!

Chapter 2

On their way to find out what they have found, the four were heading to one of the hunter headquarters back to the sandy area where they were before they unlocked the blockade. They arrived to the headquarters, all of them exiting their car, and finding Cor. "Marshal, it's good to see you again." Ignis said.

"Your highness, one of our hunters scouted one of the nearby bases of the imperials in this place. And one of them found something interesting. However, if we're to get it, we're gonna have to clear that out. It's dangerous, but it's the only way, since where what we're looking for is locked up tight." Cor explained.

"So, you called us all the way back to clean out an imperial base?" Noctis asked.

"Well, at least we can kill two birds with one stone, taking out one of these bases will take away theses imperials, and... well, finding what it is that you're trying to show us." Gladiolus said, crossing his arms.

"Exactly, it's more of a mystery than something we know about." Cor clarified. "Something that could mean trouble in the future."

"What is it, exactly?" Prompto asked, looking at Cor.

"From what the hunter could describe, he said it was a human, inside some container. Something we've never seen before from the imperials." Cor explained.

The four looked at each other, all having confused expressions, with a mix of shock, never hearing of anything like this before. "We'll take care of it, Marshal. We'll devise a plan and head in." Ignis stated.

"This isn't necessary to say, but be careful when going in there. They have magitek armours and all sorts of soldiers." Cor warned.

Noctis nodded. "Got it. We'll have it cleared out by night time." He stated.

Cor nodded back. "Good. Now, get over there and get ready. I'll be here when you finish." He said, looking at them, then turning and walking away.

The four looked at each other. "Wow, we're already invading imperial bases. I'm kinda nervous." Prompto said, his hands fiddling with each other.

"Nervous isn't the word I would use." Gladiolus said, crossing his arms.

"As long as we come up with a good plan, we'll be fine Prompto. Ignis is good at that." Noctis said, to help him remain calm.

"You have my word when I say, I will make sure we make it out alive." Ignis said. Prompto nodded, having a bit of a nervous laugh, but with what was said, it helped him stay calm. "Alright, let's do this." He said, as they then went near a haven next to the Imperial base, where they would camp. They waited until night time to get ready for their attack. Ignis had their plan all thought up and ready to go. Stealth, take out as many as possible, and if they were seen, they would regroup and attack together. Prompto and Noctis were all okay with it, but Gladiolus was a bit sceptical on the idea, but he chose to go with the plan with a little more explanation. With a little more talk about it, they chose to take action with it. At night, they struck from the shadows.

The four were waiting by the entrance, and looked inside, seeing that there were a lot of imperial soldiers, and magitek armours and troops. Noctis used his warping ability, for being Lucius blood, royal blood, and warped up one of the lookout towers, to scout the area. Taking a good look around, seeing the many lights, from lamp poles to the lights from the magitek armours. And with that, he could see rows of magitek troops, thinking that by taking care of these guys, they could keep this place safe from them. He then turned around to look at the entrance, and made a faint shining light with his sword, to signal they were clear to enter. Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus all kept their head low as they snuck to where Noctis was, but they kept a quick pace. Noctis warped to their side, all four hiding behind what looked like supplies of arms. "There's a lot of them. From the armours to the troops."

"As it should be expected." Ignis said, then peaking his head to the corner of the path they had to take, having more enemies.

"Hey, where do you think that thing is that Cor told us about?" Prompto asked, checking behind them, in case if anybody came by.

"Most likely somewhere covered up and hidden. If we're gonna look for it, we're gonna have to clear this place out first." Gladiolus said.

"So we keep at it with the stealth?" Prompto asked.

"Correct." Ignis answered.

Prompto nodded, then the four continuing on with the infiltration. Noctis scouted the area ahead, making sure to find out if there was a path they could take where they would have good hiding while being able to see the enemy. He warped back to the others and pointed to the left of the opening of the wall they were hiding behind. Upon inspection of where their path, there was this laser like wall in the way. There was something next to it, that looked like some sort of scanner. Ignis took a look at it, and tilted his head. "It appears to be some sort of scanner. From the form, it looks like it scans some sort code."

"Like something out of a keycard? A bar code?" He asked, as an example of what it could scan.

"From the form, it would seem so." Ignis answered. They then began to feel a strong wind build up, and then felt this bright light hit them, and turned to the direction, to see a magitek engine has spotted them. An alarm then was rung, and then all had their weapons in hand. "Looks like we're going loud." Gladiolus said, his greatsword held onto his shoulders. Ignis summoned his daggers, as the four were now ready to fight what was coming. The laser door behind them opened up, but they saw as many more were coming. Loud stepping sounds were coming, as they were the magitek armours, and more were dropping from the engine. Gladiolus stood where there were more, along side Prompto, while Ignis stayed by Noctis' side. It then lead to an onslaught of magitek troops, soldiers, and armours all after the four, but they all stood their ground and slashed and tore through all of them. Noctis had more weapons, a sword, a lance of sorts, and a greatsword, do to his powers, giving him the ability to carry them without the hassle of holding onto them. Ignis made sure to watch over Noctis and took care of any of the that had firearms, while having his daggers coated in fire, ice and lightning and switching between them with ease. Prompto fought in range, with his pistol and other firearms he carried, such as an assault right, some grenades and a rocket launcher. And as for Gladiolus, being having the most strength, but not being the most powerful, he stuck with his greatsword, but having a shield too, to block anything that came his way. He mostly handled the group of troops, while assisting Prompto with the armours, as he would use his rocket launcher on them, decreasing the time needed to take them out. Despite the odds, the four turned this ambush into a massacre for the troops. Many were in half, while some simply disappeared from the battlefield. Many weapons of the troops and soldiers were left on the ground. They could count how many there are, and it would show how many they took out. The four took a small break to catch their breath. Prompto then looked at the field of firearms and melee weapons. "Wow. To think they have all the time and money to make this stuff."

"I would believe it's artificially created rather than properly made." Noctis commented.

"Alright, we've cleared this place out. Let's find what we were looking for." Gladiolous said, as the four then began to search for anything that would find it. With some searching, Prompto found an entrance inside one of the small buildings, and how it looked, it seemed to lead somewhere underground, but it was locked up. The four saw that it had the same scanner from before, but of course, no code. The four tried to figure a way in. "Hmm, maybe we should look for a keycard or something?" Noctis asked.

"It seems to be our only option." Ignis said. Prompto then was seen looking at a barrel, and he was cutting it open with one of the axes the magitek troops use. He then cut a hole, and smelt what was inside. He covered his nose but he laughed. "Oil. I got our solution." He said.

It lead to some talking, with this crazy idea, but Noctis was good with the idea, Gladiolus chose that over looking for a keycard. And with some logical convincing, they eventually convinced Ignis to agree. They then found more barrels, thinking they would need more, figuring out that the walls were thick, so more explosives were needed. With at least 4 oil barrels planted next to the door, they all took some distance, and Prompto took a careful shot, and the bullet hit them, causing a big explosion. A few seconds waited, and the smoke cleared, and they checked the door, seeing that it was blown open, along with some of the building. Prompto laughed with a cocky smirk. "Told you it was a solution."

"Could have become a problem, but I'm glad it wasn't." Gladiolus said, then looking to the entrance, an elevator. But because of the explosion, it caused some damage inside. "You better hope you didn't completely break it." Gladiolus said.

"If it was too damaged, it would have fallen all the way down." Ignis said. "And since it's imperial engineering, it would, without a doubt withhold. And the... rather larger room for it."

"Let's hope so." Noctis said, then walking in, clearly showing he was okay with it. The other three, looked at each other, and then they followed along with him, as the elevator then went down, making some noises, metal, grinding, making them nervous. But they were fine. With their eyes wondering, they took some time to realize they'd either have to carry a lot of people, or something very heavy if the elevator was this big. The elevator kept going down, and it eventually stopped.

"If they dug it this deep down, than it could be dangerous." Galdiolus pointed out.

"But that begs the question, how did this hunter find it in the first place?" Prompto asked, making a good point.

"Maybe we can take it up the Marshal. We should focus on the area around us." Ignis said, as they came across their first floor of this area, as they found themselves in a room, with windows, and a ton of buttons. They looked through the window, to see many magitek weapons, and many troops. Although none were the big kind. "What is this place?" Noctis asked. He then walked towards the door to the right of the room, and it opened automatically. The four then continued forward, seeing nothing but the light their flashlights attached to their shirts were showing. They went down some stairs, only hearing the sound of their boots hitting the metal stairs, and the echo of it. "Do you think this place is abandoned?" Prompto asked.

"So far it would seem so." Gladiolus said.

"Looks can be deceiving. Stay sharp." Ignis pointed out.

They took a look around, to see if they would fine a door or an elevator, and they eventually found a door, and it lead to go even deeper. "Great, stairs, leading to darker and deeper rooms. And the elevator wasn't nerve wracking enough." Prompto said.

"Don't complain. Or I'll give you something to complain about." Gladiolus said, clearly not wanting to hear any of it.

"Whatever we find better be worth the trouble." Noctis said, as they continued down the stairs. They would then find another floor of the same, with the huge amount of magitek weapons and troops. "Sheesh, there's more? You'd think they'd have enough back at their own place." Prompto said.

"Goes to show how much they wanted The Crystal. Just wished it didn't turn out this way." Gladiolus commented. Noctis looked down for a second, and then looked back forward, seeing the next stairs. It would eventually lead them to the 5th bottom floor, having the same room and amount of magitek troops. "Hmm, looks like we're gonna have to dig a little deeper." Noctis pointed out.

The others didn't reply. "Umm, guys?" He was then shushed by Gladiolus, as they then heard a metal knock, and they all turned to the direction of where they heard it. Gladiolus went forward first, to find a door, having another security clearance required, but it wasn't next to the door. "Strange." He said, then leaning his head against the door, to hear breathing. "Somebody's in here." He pointed out, keeping his voice down.

"How? There's no button to open it." Prompto pointed out.

"Maybe it's a panic room. No way to open outside, but inside, it seals it shut until somebody opens it." Gladiolus suggested.

They all thought it would make sense, and they had no way of getting in, so they couldn't prove it. "Should we tell them we're not hear to hurt them?" Prompto asked.

"I guess it's the only way, and if not, we'll have to keep looking around." Noctis said.

Gladiolus nodded and then knocked on the door. "Hey, it's imperial troops. The situation is under control. You're safe now." He said, using his idea. The other looked at each other and nodded, wanting to go with his idea. There was no noise for a second, and then they heard some footsteps inside. "We're opening the door now." A female voice called out. And then they heard a beep, and it opened, revealing to be people in lab coats. They then gasped, and then tried to close it again. "Wait!" Gladiolus said, and the door was about to shut, but Noctis warped in just in time, being inside with them. He then got up and looked at them, seeing that they were all looking at them, in fear. But then one had a firearm, aiming at him, but having a shaky hand, but focused look. "Hurt anybody and I will shoot!" He said, clearly trying to protect them, his grey hair showing he was middle aged.

Noctis put his hands forward. "Look, we're not here to hurt you. We're just looking for something."

"Oh yeah? And what might that be?" He asked, his finger still on the trigger.

"Something about a guy in a container. Sound familiar?" Noctis asked.

The man then shook his head, knowing what he was talking about. "Even if we do know, we won't tell you about it!"

"And why not? You have a story, we came in, threatened, and we took what we wanted. You couldn't fight back. Do you think they'd punish you for handling something that was meant for soldiers?" Noctis said, trying to passively persuade him to helping. "Trust me, we know the imperial army is cruel, but I'd doubt they'd punish you for something like this."

The three were listening in, hearing what was happening. They looked at each other, all three having confidence on the situation and how Noctis was handling it.

The person then put his firearm down, looking at him. He sighed, looking down. "I hope you're right."

"I know people that can help you. The hunters. They can take you in." Noctis said, looking at them all.

"Thank you, kind sir." A female scientist said, fixing her black hair, in a happy tone of voice, more relieved. Noctis was then handed the keycard for the door, placing it in front and then opened the door, and saw the three. "That was handled very well Noctis." Ignis said.

"Very king-like." Prompto said, with a smile, patting him on the back. Noctis smiled as well, finding it kind of encouraging, but it really wouldn't change the way he was. The person that had the fire-arm before, he walked to them. "One more thing, I'll take you to the room for what you're looking for." He said, looking at them.

"So, you actually want to help?" Prompto asked, with an eyebrow raised.

The man nodded, looking at them.

"Just don't try anything." Gladiolus said, crossing his arms.

"You chose to ask us passively instead of brute force, so it's only the right thing to do." He said, as he then walked forward. The four looked at each other, hoping this wouldn't be a trap. They then walked with the person, and they watched as he stopped. "Step aside." He said with a raised tone, the four jumping a bit from his sudden raised voice. As then saw a bright red light of magitek armour light up. They drew their weapons, but the man put his hand up, showing it was okay. "Name?" The magitek armour spoke. The man looked at it. "Velle Vontta." The man answered.

"Bio description?"

The man paused for a second, and looked down. "Deceased mother, classified knowledge, criminal record." The man answered.

The magitek armour than stood up, revealing a hidden path behind it. The four heard everything he said, and they thought they were going into something way more intriguing then they thought. They followed the man, into one last elevator, as it would bring them down. "Velle Vontta? Is that your name?" Prompto asked.

"No, it's the name of the person in the daemon fusion container." He answered. "And the bio description, all true. His mother, the criminal record isn't entirely true but the classified knowledge is considered criminal offence." He explained.

"What did he know?" Noctis asked.

"You can ask him yourself." He said, as they then arrived, as they were brought to a room, where there two, containers. One with a person in a container with some liquid surrounding him, and having some darkness around his body, while there was a bomb daemon in the other, it being a circular daemon with small arms. They walked in, seeing this, all the pipes connecting, and all the sounds. He then found a body right next to it, and he gasped, seeing it. "It's the hunter..." He said, now knowing how this hunter found it. But he never made it out. From the way the body was, he seemed to have died from gun shots. Remembering something they had to do, he took the tag from the hunter, and held onto it. "So, why is he hidden away?" Noctis asked, his curiosity peaked.

"Experiment meant to be kept secret." He answered. "Someone who is going to be the first half-human half-daemon. So far, the liquid surrounding him is what's keeping him alive." He answered.

Ignis went to take a closer look, catching more detail of this person, having white hair that was long, for being wet, reaching to the front of his face, having a slim build, almost like Ignis, but having some muscle.

Prompto then had this clipboard inside, showing the info of this "Velle Vontta." "Wow... I can only imagine what his childhood must have been like."

"Didn't he just say he was an experiment? He wasn't created?" Gladiolus asked.

"Captured. After... certain events in his life. But I'm sure you don't have the time to hear about it." The man said.

"I'm afraid not. We have our own affairs to pursue." Ignis pointed out.

"But how are we gonna keep him alive if that stuff is what keeps him alive?" Prompto asked.

The man then looked at the liquid, and looked at Velle. "I have an idea, but it will not be good to those who are not fond of needles."

He said, then going to one of the cabinets in the place, and finding many needles, as if this was needed for a purpose. They were all in one satchel, and he then went to one of the pipes, and he wrapped it around, in holes that fit the needles perfectly. It then made a suction sound, as he then took it out, all the needles being filled with the liquid, the light yet faded green. He handed it to one of them, and Ignis took it into his hands. "He will need this, as his body will suffer withdrawals without it. Each needle will refill in a day, so supplies are unlimited." The man explained.

The four looked at each other. "And... if he doesn't take it?" Prompto asked.

"His body will shrivel, and it will eventually shrivel his organs, leading to death." He answered, looking down. "He used to be a normal boy, and now... look at him."

"Well, with the hunter's help, maybe he can be normal again." Gladiolus said. "Cor or some hunters can keep an eye on him." He added.

"Yeah, we can leave it up to them." Prompto said, then looking at Velle. "Well, I guess it's time."

The man nodded and then walked to one of the table of buttons, and then pressed a few of them, then leading to one last one, then beginning to drain the liquid. The container than opened up, and Gladiolus caught the body of Velle, and he held him over his shoulder. "Alright, let's get out of here, before anything else happens."

"We're definitely gonna have to get clothes for him." Noctis said, looking at him, seeing Velle only in boxers.

"Maybe something to match? All in black?" Prompto suggested, with a small smirk. They then went to the elevator and saw the man wasn't coming. "You comin'?"

He shook his head. "I was the cause of what happened to Velle, agreeing to turn him into what he is... I deserve to be punished for what has happened. I will stay here, and let the imperials capture me, if that's what they wish to do to me."

The other looked at each other. "No, you can start your life new, forget any of this happened." Noctis suggested.

"But the guilt of ruining his life will never leave my shoulders. Never in a million years." He said, then sitting down. "Go. Do what I couldn't and save him."

Prompto looked at him. "We won't forget you sir. We wish for the best." Then, the elevator door closed on them, and they went back up. They all looked down. "He was honorable. He protected his friends and now he sacrifices himself for them, taking the blame for what happened." Prompto said.

"Well make sure it won't be in vain." Ignis said, as they then made it back to the 5th floor, and then walking out. Just then, alarms rung, and then magiteks were all awakening, their eyes glowing red. "We need to get out! RUN!" Gladiolus shouted, as they all then ran for the exit, going to the stairs. Prompto used his pistol to at least take out a few of them, missing but scoring headshots. They then watched as each floor began to have more and more of them wake up, some shooting needle like protectiles and they hasted their way to the elevator that they came from. From the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd floors, they made it to the top, as the other scientists were there, at the elevator. '"WAIT! HOLD ON!" Gladiolus shouted, to get their attention. They then waited for them, they went up the stairs, Prompto still shooting at them, and made it to the elevator, closing it and them making their way. The four were breathless, trying to catch it. "That... was way too close." Noctis said, his hands on his knees and looking down.

"As long as we, and the others made it out." Ignis said, looking at them.

The female scientist looked at them, and looked around. "Wait, where's Jefferson!?" She asked, in a worried tone.

Gladiolus figured she was talking about the one that helped them find Velle. "He didn't want to come along, saying he wanted to stay behind, to be punished for what he had done to Velle." Gladiolus explained.

The female scientist looked down, taking her glasses off. "I see... he really does care for him." She said, then looking back up to them. "Do you plan on keeping him?" She asked.

"That would depend on if he would want to, when he wakes up." Noctis answered, showing he was okay with him coming along, if it was to be.

The three looked at him, hearing his decision on the matter. "But until he wakes up, he's staying with the hunters." Noctis added.

The female nodded. "Okay. Do you think the 'hunters' would mind if I stayed by his side? If Jefferson wanted better for Velle, than I'll gladly help."

The four figured she could be trusted. "If it's what you desire, than I'm sure the hunters will be happy to let you." Ignis said.

She nodded, and smiled. "Thank you. Oh, and, my name is Jennifer." She said, revealing her name.

"Well then, Jennifer, I'm sure you'll be able to help take care of Velle." Gladiolus said, as they then made it out of that place, hoping this would be the last they'd have to do anything like that. But, they would, if it was critical. They then walked out, to see it was midnight, and they escorted the scientists to the hunter HQ, while fighting of the daemons that appeared at night. Now with this Velle character being another burden to look after, but he did peak their interest, as for they had no idea what he was about.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N

Well, this one didn't take long, since I had it planned ahead. Again, reviews are very appreciated.

Chapter 3

With the scientists all saved, and now all moved to Lestalum, where they live without the same level of work as they did with the Imperials, and Velle still at the hunter HQ. The four were around, helping the hunters with bounties, such as sabertusks, and other monsters. It would help them gain more gil for stuff they would need further on with their adventure.

As of now, they were handling a herd of beasts known as Dualhorns, with bodies that look like their made of hard leather and two big horns, with some fur on them. Gladiolus flipped one over, after blocking a charge with his shield. He then struck at it's stomach, hitting it in a vulnerable spot.

Prompto shot at one, breaking off it's horn, and Noctis flew in to deal a finishing blow. And with that, they finished their bounty hunt. "*Phew* That was easier than I thought it would be." Prompto said, with a small smirk.

"Never saw it as difficult in the first place." Gladiolus said, looking at the Dualhorns.

"So, how many more do we have?" Noctis asked, looking at Ignis.

"One more, and it's handling a ravaging Bandersnatch. This one will definitely require a lot of time, and may take to the point of resting through camp." Ignis stated.

Noctis looked up. "Ugh, but it's gonna start raining." He said, in a complaining tone.

"Then we better hike it to the car as quick as we can." Gladiolus said, as they then went back for the car.

Meanwhile at the hunter HQ, a yellow tow truck was arriving to it, with the logo, "Hammerhead" on it. The truck went to a halt, and the driver got out, showing to be a woman, in booty shorts, a yellow jacket, not fully zipped up and cowgirl boots, and a hat with the same logo, her curly blonde hair puffed out by the cap. She then was approached by hunters. "Cindy, good to see ya." A female said, with a smile.

"Good to see hunters doin' mighty fine themselves." Cindy said, in her Texas accent, smiling as well. "So, where's the truck that needs a good tamperin' n' towin'?" She asked.

The other hunter, being a male, nodded. "Well, bring it to you. Plus, we're sorry for having to bring you out here. We bet you were busy at the garage."

"Naw, it's the least I can do for the people keeping us safe around these parts." She said, with a smile. "Now, bring me to the truck." She said, the hunters nodding and bring her to it. They walked past many of what looked like technology that seemed to be for communication, or tracking. She was then brought to the truck, and she took a look at it, seeing what the problem was. "We were attacked by one of those cactuar things, and it shot so many needles at it. We spent all day plucking each one out." The male hunter explained.

She then saw the damage. Popped tires, damaged windows, engine broke as well, and just in tatters. "Hmm. It'll take some time to get this puppy workin' again. I'll get the truck." She said, then turning to go get it. She then turned her head to the left, to see something that caught her interest. It was Velle, but now fully clothed, in a black vest, cargo pants, and fingerless gloves. She then saw as Jennifer was to his side, and now giving him one of his shots to the shoulder. Velle gave a pained gasped, as if this was having some sort of waking effect. She walked to them, to see what this was about. "Is he sick?" She asked, in a concerned tone.

Jennifer looked at her, and nodded. "Yes, it's sad, since this is more of feeding an addiction." She answered, with vivid explanation. "But, we don't have a choice. It's for his life."

Cindy had a worried expression on her face. "Oh my, that sounds awful."

"Blame those bastard Imperials for doing this to him." Jennifer said, with clear anger in her tone.

"I figured they'd have somethin' to do with this. They're always up to no good."

"The worst part is, I don't know when he'll wake up. The most I've heard out of him was pained groans, or just moans." Jennifer explained.

"Poor thing. He's gonna be in for a rude awakening if that's the case." Cindy said, leaning to look at him, seeing a faint glow to his eyes, despite his eyes being barely opened.

"It's okay. With prince Noctis and his friends, he'll be waking up to something that'll give him hope." Jennifer said, showing she believed in them. It was thanks to them she was even here, so she saw them as something that encouraged her to think positive.

Cindy smiled, and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. With them boys around, they'll do more than give ya hope. Somethin' more." Cindy said, as last words, as she then went off to get back to work. Jennifer then looked at she walked off, repeating her words to herself, and then looked back at Velle, and smiled. "I believe." She said, as she then gently placed Velle to lean back, making him sit properly. He made a moan as he was gently placed, but still, no change.

Back to the four, all standing next to this big crater with some water inside. They were slowly approaching it, and hearing noises, roars, loud stomps, and splashes of water. They then peaked over the edges of the crater, to find the beast. Something that had small arms, but massive legs, and two big fangs on the bottom jaw. The four looked at each other, and then back to it. "How can we take that thing on?" Noctis asked.

"With a mouth as big as that, it could chew us all up at the same time." Prompto said, nervously.

"Than take care you don't let it happen." Ignis said, keeping his eyes on the monster. "As obvious it may be, I'd suggest avoid it's frontal attacks." He said, offering advice. "And from the steam emitting from it's body, it might be resistant to fire." Ignis pointed out.

Gladiolus then summoned his greatsword, and he kept it to his side. "Alright then. So sneak attack, or we charge in?"

"From it's frequent turning, I'd say a sneak attack is not likely." Ignis said, then hearing Noctis warp, and he saw the line of light that followed, as he came from high up, and he crashed down on the Bandersnatch, hitting it directly on the head. From the height and impact of his weapon, it seemed to have caused it massive damage to the head, and without them knowing, damaging it's vision. The other three then stood up, summoning their weapons and jumped down to join Noctis. "A little quick on the trigger, don't you think?" Prompto asked Noctis.

"Well, it was a sneak attack I could see happening." Noctis answered, then using his one-handed sword. The Bandersnatch then roared at them, shaking the ground they stood on, but they remained in their place. It then ran at them, and they all got out of the way from it's path, but Gladiolus jumped away, but not far, to cut it right on it's leg, to cause it to trip. They went to go cause damage to it, Ignis using an ice coating to his daggers and Prompto just unloading a bullet storm with his assault rifle, making sure not to hit any of the others. Without warning, the Bandersnatch then stood up and did a spin, knocking Gladiolus back, but he blocked it, Noctis dodging through warping, but Ignis and Prompto were hit, but it wasn't anything they would scream over. Noctis helped them both up, and turned to the monster, summoning his weapon. "Man, this thing can take a hit and keep coming." Prompto said, picking up his weapon.

"But it certainly seems to be taking more than it can handle." Noctis commented.

"Than we'll make sure it can take more than it can." Ignis said, as he then ran at it, with his daggers back in his hands. Noctis and Prompto followed along, running at it, as Gladiolus was fighting it off alone, but the others attacked at it from behind, Noctis first landing a warp strike on it's back, then getting out of the way for Prompto's shot from his rocket launcher, and then Ignis topped it off with his daggers sinking into it's back, and using ice deep inside it's back. Gladiolus knew what happened, so he then held his greatsword with two hands, and he swung vertically, and it knocked it on it's side again, and they went in to attack all together, leading to a barrage of bullets from Prompto, quick slashes from Ignis, strong slashes from Gladiolus, and mixed weapon attacks from Noctis, they then all came together, and dealt finishing blows, Noctis holding this long axe in a crystal form, and he slashed right through the bandersnatch. It let out one last roar, it's head high up, before falling silent. "Woohoo! That was awesome! We handled that thing easily!" Prompto said, clearly happy with how this ended.

"You know, looking at this thing, it kinda makes me hungry." Noctis said, with a smile.

Ignis looked at the Bandersnatch's body, and he tilted his head. "Hmm. Perhaps there are edibles in a Bandersnatch. A strange dish, but it could work." He said, looking at it.

"Well, only one way to find out." Gladiolus said, getting his greatsword out.

"Oh no, Gladio! You are not carving it's insides in front of me!" Prompto said, looking away. Gladio was a way they called Gladiolus shortly, as the same with Noctis, Noct, and Ignis, Iggy.

"Well, it's the only way of getting it." He pointed out. And with the last hunt done, and handing in all the bounties, they went to hand them in, but it then started to rain. However, at Hammerhead, where Cindy's garage was, however owned by her father, Cid, there was an RV for rent. Purely for sleep only. They stayed there, and Ignis got to cooking with what his idea was, or what he saw in a cookbook. While they waited, Prompto, Gladiolus and Noctis were on their phones, playing a game on it, that had a lot of tapping required. Cindy was there that night, and she decided to visit them while they were there. "Hey y'all. Good to see ya." She called out, standing under the current that covered the rain. With the light they had on, it showed Cindy had some oil on her jacket, and some on her cheek. She then smelt the air. "Mmm, somethin' smells mighty fine."

"Bandersnatch meat. With herbs added to it. Want some?" Prompto asked.

"As much as I'd love to, but I bet he only prepared for four." She pointed out.

"Chances are, we'll have some left over." Ignis then pointed out.

Cindy smiled, and then sat with them. "Well, if y'all don't mind."

"Looks like you've been busy." Gladiolus commented, with a smile.

"Just fixin' up a truck the hunters need. They got attacked by a cactuar, and the 1000 needles them things shoot caused a lot of damage." Cindy explained on what she was doing.

"Wow. To think they came across one." Prompto said. "Would have been the perfect thing to snap." He added, looking at his camera.

"Well, with Cindy fixing their truck, maybe they'll see it again." Noctis said, knowing Cindy was good with fixing vehicles.

Cindy smiled. "Why thank you, your highness." She said. "Oh, by the way, did you hear about that boy, Velle?" She asked.

"Indeed, we were the one to rescue him out of that imperial base." Ignis said, while adding some herbs to the meal.

"It's a shame what he's gotta be givin' to just stay alive. Not only that, but somebody with him is just worried sick." Cindy said, showing she had sympathy for them.

"It's a shame, yeah. But hey, at least he isn't down there anymore, right? He's in the good hands of the hunters." He pointed out, with a smile. "If he's with the hunters, he'll be fine."

Cindy thought about it for a bit, and she nodded. "I guess you have a point there." She said, agreeing.

"You know, when this is all over, I wonder how he's gonna be, ya know? Maybe he'll be some sort of badass that got captured for doing some good." Prompto said, imagining what Velle could be like.

"Or, if you remembered what Jefferson said, he has a criminal record." Gladiolus pointed out. "But then again, he did say that it was something that he wouldn't consider."

"Something about classified information, right?" Noctis asked.

"Right. For all we know, that could be something that the Imperial army wouldn't want the world to know. Something... dangerous." Gladiolus said, looking at the others.

"Maybe we should visit him tomorrow." Prompto proposed.

"It does peak my curiosity to see him awaken." Ignis said, looking at them.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow we'll see him." Noctis stated, and crossed his legs. With the their meals made, and all of them enjoying it rather well, they rested the night, the sound of the rain soothing them to sleep, despite the faint sounds of daemons in the distance, however they were safe, with the bright lights in the place.

Meanwhile, on Velle's side, he was still asleep, but now safe inside a room, and his eye emitting a faint darkness, and still making small pained moans.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N

It took me longer to finish this one because of another fanfiction I was reading, and wanted to finish as soon as I could.

Chapter 4

Noctis stepped out of the RV, stretching and yawning, after the sleep he had. It was a good one, with the comfy beds they had, despite it only being a cheap RV. He then walked around to find the others, walking past the diner to the left of the RV. He first checked the shop that was there, to find Ignis buying ingredients, using the gil they got from the hunts. "Mornin'." Noctis said to Ignis, walking to his side.

Ignis looked at him. "Good morning." He said then looked back at the ingredients. "How did you sleep, Noct?"

"Pretty good, actually. Surprising, for a cheap RV." Noctis pointed out.

"A different bed every so often helps you sleep." Ignis said, then finishing up with the shopping.

Noctis then walked away to find the other two. He checked at Cindy's garage, and before he even got there, he heard Prompto and Cindy talking. It wasn't a big surprise to Noctis that Prompto was already there with her. He could only imagine what he was talking about in there. He went to go see what they were doing. Most likely fixing that truck she mentioned earlier. He walked in through the entrance, to see Cindy working on the engine, and Prompto was handing tools to her, and sometimes not the right one, since he didn't know what some were. Noctis couldn't help but smile, seeing that he was spending time with her. He knew Prompto had a fondness for Cindy, or as he would call her, The grease-monkey Goddess. A strange name indeed, but Noctis wasn't one to judge, since he could see why he liked her. She was handy with the car, and she had good looks to add to it. He wasn't afraid to admit, but he chose to keep it to himself. He then walked to Prompto's side, Prompto waved with a screwdriver in his handle. "Heyaz." He said, with a smile.

Cindy then looked at Noctis. "Morning, your highness."

"Hey. So how's the truck coming along?" Noctis asked, figuring he might as well start a conversation.

"The poor puppy's took quite a bit. The hunters said that they picked out every needle that was on this thing, yet I found so many more they've missed." Cindy answered. Noctis then looked to her feet, to see a pile of it. She definitely wasn't kidding when she said they missed some. "But, I've had to fix worse, so this only needs a few hours of work, a test drive, and she's good to go."

"And Prompto? Does he serve as a useful assistant?" Noctis teased.

"Well, he knows a good amount of tools I asked for, so he would make a good assistant." Cindy commented, with a smile.

Noctis then looked at Prompto, Prompto making a thumbs up with a smirk. Noctis then patted his shoulder. "Well, I'll leave you guys to it." He said, as he then left the garage, and saw Gladiolus at the weapon shop, with a girl next to him. Gladiolus was always good with people, and from what he could see, the girl next to him giggling, he bet he was chatting up something. He decided to leave him alone, since he'd remember he'd tell him they'd talk later when ever he was talking to girls. He then went to the RV, forgetting his phone. With a bit more time spent there, Noctis reminded the others that they were to check on Velle one last time before they left to get back to their own tasks. Going down the road to the HQ, Prompto looked at the others in the back, Noctis and Gladiolus sitting in the back. "So, if Velle is awake, do you think we should tell him about where we found him?" Prompto asked.

"Chances are, the hunters already told him if he's awake." Gladiolus said, looking at Prompto.

"If." Noctis pointed.

"We'll see when we get there." Ignis said.

"But just think, for all we know, that info they say he has, maybe it has something we could use to take down the Imperials." Prompto said, showing he's been thinking about it for a while.

"If the Imperials wanted him taken so badly, than it must be something that's top secret." Gladiolus said.

With a bit more talking, they made it to the hunter HQ and they parked by the side of it. Everyone got out of the car, and walked into the hunter Hq. Noctis got a few bows from the hunters, them knowing who he is, and he responded with a simple wave. They then looked to their left, to smell something rather nice. "Hey, something smells good." Prompto said, with smile, going to check it out. The other three followed along, going to where the smell was coming from, a small tent next to where all the communication equipment was. Prompto walked in, to see the familiar white haired boy standing, looking at something cooking. The white haired boy then turned to look at them, showing a rather bright turquoise eyes, his white hair reaching to his eyebrows, however messy. He also seemed to be somewhere around his 20. "Umm, can I help you?" He asked, his voice being something like Noctis' but a pinch higher in tone.

The four looked at each other, seeing that Velle was finally awake. "Your... Velle Vontta, right?" Prompto asked.

"That's what everybody calls me, yes." Velle said, still keeping his eyes on them. "Are you here for breakfast too?" He asked, although he hasn't been in the camp before.

Prompto was tempted, but they already had some breakfast back at the garage. "Well, actually, we were the ones that rescued you from the imperial base." Prompto said, looking at him. "We'd thought it would be nice to pay you a visit."

Velle had a bit of a confused look for a second, then a look that showed he realized. "Oh, Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus and Prompto, right?" He said, knowing their names. "Yes, Mr. Cor, or, marshal? He told me it was thanks to you guys that I'm safe here. So, I owe you guys." He said, with a smile on his face. He then peaked at what was cooking, which was an egg with some meat next to it, and some bread. He flipped the egg and the meat, and looked back at the others.

"Well, thank Cor, really. He's the one that told us about you." Noctis pointed out, crossing his arms.

"I guess I should thank him too, along with you guys." Velle said, with a smile.

Just then, Jennifer walked in, and placed plates right next to Velle. She then turned to see the four. "Oh, Noctis, and friends. It's a pleasure to see you four again." She said, with a smile.

The four nodded, liking her formal greeting, although it wasn't necessary. She then turned to look at Velle, turning his head to her. "Do you remember anything now? If so, what helped you remember?" She asked, her brown eyes looking at his. She was rather touchy, for somebody who was asking a simple question.

"Umm... so far I don't remember a lot." Velle answered.

The four looked at each other, having confused expressions. "Remember?" Ignis asked.

Jennifer looked at them, remembering that they weren't caught up to speed with Velle's situation. "Well, ever since he woke up, he just couldn't remember anything. He didn't know where he was from, his name, or... well, anything." She explained.

"But does he remember anything now?" Prompto asked, tilting his head a little.

Velle nodded. "Yeah, some stuff. This lady, wearing this yellow jacket and... very small shorts. I could barely see her that night, but when I saw her, she reminded me of somebody I knew." He explained, fiddling with his fingers a little.

Prompto had a thing for Cindy, so he found it a little sceptical that he remembered somebody from her. Or more of how it really was, he was a little jealous of it. The others had an idea on his fondness for her, but they chose to keep quiet on the matter. "So, what did make you remember her from Cindy?" Prompto asked.

Velle looked down, trying to think. "I... I can't really say... it was just something about her. I guess it must have been the accent or something." He answered, looking down, trying to think.

Jennifer then laughed a bit. "And then there was when he saw Cor for the first time, and he reminded him of his dad. It must have been the hair or the voice." She explained, with a smile.

The others couldn't help but laugh a bit as well, since it was kind of funny, for Cor to seem like somebody else. "Imagine if Cor was his dad." Noctis said, looking at them.

"I don't know if I'd be happy for their reunion or how rough Cor would be to his own kid." Gladiolus said, crossing his arms.

Jennifer then began to laugh, covering her mouth, and Velle began to laugh as well. After a bit of time, Jennifer wanting to at least get to know them a little, they all talked to each other, and Velle made the rest of the meals for the hunters in the HQ, they decided to chat a little more, and Velle learned more about the four. What he was most surprised about was that Noctis was a prince, or soon to be king. And the fact that Gladiolus and Ignis were his, in a way, servants and Prompto was just a friend, he found them to be a rare kind of group of friends. But then again, he wouldn't know, since he hasn't, or more likely, can't remember what friends are like. The closest he has to a friend is Jennifer.

They were all sitting down at a table, having small snacks to eat. "So, now you remember stuff by seeing stuff?" Prompto asked.

Velle nodded finishing a piece of a carrot. "Yeah, but I imagine it also has something to do with my other senses. You know, smell and the like." He answered.

"So maybe you could come with us." Prompto suggested. They were going to see a lot of places and see many beautiful views, so he figured having him along would be a great idea. It was a hasty decision, but he was really curious about Velle.

The others looked at Prompto. "The last thing we want is to burden him." Ignis said, looking at him.

"Plus, he'd take up too much room in the car." Noctis added, disagreeing with him.

"Come on, guys. He needs us. He has lost memories, travelling with us could help him out." Prompto said, wanting to help him. It was the way he was, wanting to help those in need. Plus, it was, in his eyes, the right thing to do.

Velle shook his head. "I appreciate the idea, guys. But I'm afraid that it just wouldn't work. I'm still not able to remember a lot. I'd probably just get in the way." He said, seeing it the way he did. "I'd be much safer here." Prompto had a bit of a disappointed expression, looking at him. But then Cor came by. And stood in front of them, holding a massive weapon. "I believe this belongs to you." He said, handing it to Velle. Velle looked at it, seeing the way it was designed. It looked like a sword, but there was gears between the double edged blades, as it had two, and between the two blades, was teeth that were red, and had a faint red glow, while being warm. The others had shocked expressions, finding his weapon incredible. Velle held it, and he raised an eyebrow. He then stood up and reflect it against the sunlight. He then had this realization, looking at his weapon. "Yeah... this is my weapon." He said, with a smile, then pressing something by the handle, which looked like some sort of trigger. He pressed it, and the teeth revved up, making a grinding noise. He then grinded it against a rock, making the teeth them light up on fire. Velle then laughed, looking at his weapon. "Oh yeah! I remember it now!" He said, in a tone that made him sound excited to use it. Or it was a tone that may have reminded him of something. Perhaps, the way he acted normally?

"So... his weapons is a flaming chainsaw?" Noctis asked, looking at him.

"Sounds ridiculous at first, until you've seen it with your own eyes." Cor said, crossing his arms. "Your highness. As much as I think it wouldn't change anything, he could be of help to you guys. Or maybe bring him to keep an eye on Jared and Talcott. As well as Iris in Lestalum." He suggested.

Noctis looked at him, and thought about it. They really didn't have anybody to protect them, so maybe he was right. "Yeah, I guess they could use somebody to keep an eye on them." He agreed.

Jennifer looked at Noctis. "Are you sure? You don't have to take him if you don't want to." She said, with a bit of a worried expression and tone.

"Well, with the talk of him having no memory, he deserves to remember. I mean, if I were in his shoes, he'd probably do the same." He answered, looking at Velle, seeing Prompto and Gladiolus next to him and taking a look at his weapon, both of them testing it. Gladiolus held it easily, but Prompto wasn't so successful.

With some more time of chatter, and preparing, Velle was ready to go, with the four. He got in the car, sitting next to Ignis and Gladiolus, since Noctis chose to drive this time, and started the car. They were about to drive off, Velle waving goodbye to the other hunters. He then heard some faint screaming for his name, unlike the people saying goodbye, it was more of calling for him. "Noct, stop the car." He said, already calling him by his short name, despite never hearing it before. Just then Jennifer was running to them, going past the crowd of hunters, having the belt of green liquid needles that he needed. She then stopped, holding onto the car. "You almost forgot this." She said.

Velle looked at it and then smiled, looking at Jennifer. "Thanks, Jennifer." He said, with a smile. He then went over Gladiolus' legs to reach for her and hug her, and then sat back down, with the same struggle of moving between Gladiolus and the front seat. "I'll be sure to visit every so often." He said, as he then told Noctis that they could go, and so they went off. Jennifer smiled, seeing him go off with them. She felt this sting in her heart. Maybe it was the closest thing she had to a child perhaps.

"Wow, it was like you were calling the shots." Noctis said, pointing out when he told him to stop and go.

Velle realized that, and he laughed nervously, looking down with a small smile. "Oh, right. Sorry about that." He said.

It was a little cramped in the back, but he was okay with it, since they had no hood on the car, which it made him feel like there's more open space. He was already excited to see everything. But in all honesty, he was very nervous, to see it. While he was ready, but he heard all the dangers. He could recall the times he would hear hunters talk about the very dangerous creatures out there. But with them, and how he knew they could take out an empire base on their own, he bet he had nothing to worry about. They then went to the next part of the county and Velle couldn't believe what he saw, the meteor that was in the distance, that was just above the ground. He stood up, to look at it, with an awe struck expression on his face. "Wow... what is that?" He asked.

"The disc of Cauthus. A meteor that nearly struck the ground, but Titan caught it, and stills holds it up today." Ignis explained, at least the shorter of it.

Velle kept looking at it, with a look that showed he was amazed. "I can't wait to see what else is in this world. And to have you guys with me, it would be even better."

"Well, we know much about this place as you. We know a bit, but not all of it." Noctis pointed out.

"If it were the case that we knew all of it, than we'd look like tour guides." Prompto joked.

Velle laughed as well, hearing his joke, and he then sat back down. He took a deep breath, showing his excitement was over flowing. The car the went to an immediate stop, everyone being pushed forward, almost hitting their faces against the front seats.

"What's wrong?" Ignis asked.

"Imperials." Noctis said, then turning the engine off of the car, and getting out. Velle then looked up, to see imperial troops dropping from the drop ship. Everybody got out of the car as quick as they could, and Velle did the same. He grabbed his greatsaw, what he calls it, from the trunk, which they luckily fit in the trunk. He then stood behind them, his hands holding the weapon. "So, you guys face these things all the time?" He asked.

Noctis nodded. "But their nothing we can't handle." He said, holding his one handed sword.

"You wanna prove useful, show us what that weapon can do." Gladiolus said, looking at him.

Velle then looked at his weapon, and he grinned, pulling the trigger and making it rev up.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Thank you to Oof-SAD-BOI for favouriting and following the story. Enjoy the story!

Chapter 5

The four stood in front of the car, all holding their weapons. Although, they stood silent for the moment, Velle's weapon was loud, with the revving and the sound of the gears making clacking noises. But they weren't going to let it distract them. They then charged at them, Noctis throwing his sword and warping and cutting right through one of them, drawing most of the attention. With that, Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus charged in, as well as Velle. Prompto handled them from range, like always, and Gladiolus handled it alone, but Ignis chose to stick to Velle's side, since he was unsure of his combat experience. He planned to strike at any troops that tried to attack from behind, since most of them were using melee weapons, and the ranged were already handled by Prompto, he didn't have a lot to worry about. But Velle was a concern, but it was immediately put to a halt, seeing him just hack and slash through them all, sawing through all he had his sight on, with that flaming great saw of his. Prompto stood next to Ignis. "A natural ass-kicking machine." He said, although this was more of a group effort.

"It does raise the question on his talent in combat." Ignis said, guessing that combat must have brought back some memory of possible combat in the past. Prompto then turned his head to the right, to see a troop running towards them, him then scoring a headshot with his pistol. Prompto then motioned his head to Ignis, to get back in the fight.

Velle then went to Noctis to help him out, since he drew a lot of attention. Velle spun in a circle, cutting through a good chunk of them. Noctis then used his greatsword to knock some back, and threw his weapon high up in the air, and catching it in the air, then switching to a spear and pushing right through one of the stronger ones. Velle helped with the last few that were knocked down, as did the others. With the last few gone, they all put their weapons away, and Velle put his fingers off the trigger of his weapon, immediately making the fire go out. Velle began to laugh, and he looked at his weapon. "Yeah, I definitely remember this now." Velle said, his grin rising.

"You certainly know how to wield it." Gladiolus commented, walking past him.

Velle smiled, and walked with him, as they all went back in the car. From the look of them, they all seemed fine. But, it did pop into his mind, to make sure. "So, is everybody alright?" Velle asked.

"I'm good." Noctis said, getting on the driver seat.

"Me too." Prompto answered as well.

Ignis simply nodded.

"Yup." Gladiolus answered.

Velle smiled. "Alright, just wanted to make sure." Velle said, sitting properly. As long as they said they were fine, he believed them.

"To think we bring the new guy, and we immediately get attacked by the imperials." Gladiolus said, leaning his head against his fist.

"I for one am not surprised." Ignis commented.

The group fell silent, and Velle wanted to keep talking to them, to at least help pass the time. "So, how long have these guys been after you?" Velle asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Every since we left crown city." Noctis said, although it was a little exaggerated.

Velle didn't know how to respond to that. "Oh." He said, looking down slightly.

"We'd explain more, but it's... a sensitive subject." Ignis whispered. Velle didn't really hear him, but he just heard enough to know it was something to not talk about. He then tried to think on how to change the subject, or what to change it to. He was about to say something, but Prompto spoke up. "Hey, Velle. How's that memory of yours holding up?" He asked.

Well, he did change the subject, and to something that would be interesting to talk about. He looked at the sky, feeling his hair fly back with the wind. "Well, that fight surely brought back memories. Fights I've had in the past." He answered. "But certainly wasn't with them, at least that's not what I remember anyway."

"Nothing else?" Prompto asked.

Velle tilted his head, trying to think. "Hmm..." He closed his eyes, trying to think. He then shook he head. "No, nothing else. There's something, but I can't put my finger on it."

Prompto then looked to the side. "Oh well, maybe with an actual good night sleep, you'll remember some stuff."

"You seem very set to having me remember." Velle said, looking at him. "But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it."

Prompto smiled, hearing that he at least wasn't questioning why. Velle then looked at his clothing, thinking that black and skin showing wasn't his style. He had a skinny body, despite being able to lift that heavy weapon of his. And looking at his arms, he didn't like showing it. "Hey, where it is they're going, do you think they have a clothing shop?" He asked.

"If I do recall, they do. I'm sure Iris could point you to it." Ignis answered.

Velle raised an eyebrow. "Iris? Is that somebody that's where we're going to?"

"My sister." Gladiolus answered.

Velle nodded. "Alright. As long as she knows her way around." He said, with a smile. Maybe this wasn't going to be as nerve wracking as he thought. He was nervous, yes, but with friends like these, this wasn't going to be as bad as he thought. But then a funny thought came to mind. He looked at Gladiolus, seeing how he was muscular, and he thought about it, how would his sister look like? He could only imagine, although he would see her later. A little time passed, as they drove to Lestalum, Velle looked at it, seeing the buildings, houses and the people that were there. They parked the car in the parking area, and all stepped out of the car. Velle looked at the town of Lestalum, now getting closer to it. He was about to cross the road, but was then pulled back by Gladiolus, and he looked at him. "Car was coming." He warned.

Velle then looked to the left, and saw where the vehicle was coming. He had a small laugh, and he looked at him. "Thanks, dad." He said, although the dad part was more sarcastic. Gladiolus scoffed at his comment, and they then began to walk into the town. They then walked past the road, and now they were in Lestalum. Velle admitted that this place was a little strange on how it was made, but he wasn't going to complain, since he really thought there was nothing to complain about in the first place. Velle looked at the small shops that were around, or more they were about food, some that had skewers, noodles, and some type of roast. Velle didn't go near them, figuring that it would cost gil, so he just to just keep his mind off of it. "So, does Lestalum live up to your expectations?" Prompto asked, with a small smirk on his face.

Velle turned his head to him, and smiled. "Well, I didn't expect anything really, but it certainly is a nice town." Velle answered.

"Trust me, there's more you haven't seen." Prompto said, with a smile. "Since you'll be watching over the others here, you ask Iris to show you around." He suggested.

Velle nodded. "Yeah, I kinda planned on it." With a little more walking they made it to the hotel that was there, where this Iris was suppose to be, along with Jared and Talcott. They walked in, and Velle looked around in the hotel, seeing the decor of the inside. A sudden interest to him now. "Hmm. And you guys get to rest here free?" Velle asked.

"Well, it's thanks to a certain prince." Gladiolus said, looking at Noctis. Noctis had a faint smile, looking back at Gladiolus. They then heard footsteps coming down, and they all looked to see Jared, Velle not knowing him. "It is good to see you are well, you highness." The elderly man said. He then spotted Velle. "A new companion?"

"Velle Vontta. Pleasure to meet you." He said with a smile, looking at him.

"Please, come upstairs, Talcott has some important information." Jared said, then motioning his hand to have them follow him. The five then went up the stairs, all going to a single room, where Jared, Talcott and Iris was. As soon as they walked in, he could tell immediately who was who. Iris stood up, and smiled. "Hey, it's good to see you guys again..." She said, but then slowed down on the end of her sentence, seeing Velle. Velle smiled, seeing her, at least showing some manners. "Velle, the F.N.G." He introduced.

"Oh, well, it's a pleasure. I'm Iris, and this is Talcott." She said, introducing herself and Talcott, not knowing he knew who was who.

"So, Talcott had some important information?" Noctis asked, changing the subject to why they were brought here.

The little boy that was Talcott nodded and walked closer to him. "There's some rumours going around that there's this sword behind a waterfall west of Lestalum. I figured since you're looking for the royal weapons, it would be something you'd want to check on." Talcott explained.

Velle was about to ask about what these "Royal weapons" are, but they were talking about how these were important, so he chose to ask later.

"Nice, Talcott. Glad you're as smart as you are." Noctis said, with a smile. Talcott had this big smile on his face, showing that he was happy with Noctis' appraise.

"Then we should mosey on and find it." Gladiolus said, crossing his arms.

"Aww, but we just got here. Plus we haven't eaten in forever." Prompto said, although the eating part wasn't true. But it was about that time.

Ignis nodded, in agreement. "We might as well eat before we head off."

Prompto had a mini fist pump. "Sweet. They're bound to have something good here." He said, as he then walked off, showing his excitement to eat. The others then followed along, but Noctis turned to look at Velle. "You comin?" He asked.

Velle looked at him. "Oh, I thought I was to stay here."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can't come eat with us. You too Iris. Our treat." Noctis said, including Iris.

Iris shook her head. "No thanks, we had lunch." She said, with a smile.

Velle shrugged and then stood up. "Alright then. Hope they got something spicy." He said, as he then followed the others.

Hearing what he said, Noctis figured he just remembered something else. Favourite food perhaps? Or a preference with it? "Sounds like something you remembered."

Velle heard what he said, he looked up, thinking about it. "Huh. At this rate, I'll remember everything." He said, laughing a bit.

"It doesn't hurt your head when you remember stuff?" Noctis asked.

"Not really. I guess it depends on the memories. I've been remembering small stuff so far, but my head felt strange when I remembered about combat. I guess that's a big part of my history." Velle said, explaining how he thought it would work.

"I guess. Maybe with some time, you'll remember big parts of your life."

"Hopefully." They then when to this small restaurant, where you dined outside, and for what they had on the menu, Velle was already satisfied. As for the others, they seemed so as well. Velle ordered what were skewers with spices, and the others did the same. They were served quick, and they all began to eat. They all found it spicy, but Prompto found it the most, since he was practically drinking from his drink every second. "Man, when the word spicy was in it they weren't kidding." Gladiolus said, admitting it was spicy for him.

Velle shrugged. "It's a strong spice, but I remember having stronger." He said.

Prompto then took a deep breath, trying to catch it from the burning sensation in his mouth. "If this isn't spicy for you, I don't want to know what is."

Velle shrugged, and ate another bit of the skewer. He then wiped his head. "You know, it isn't the food here that's hot. It's this place."

"It doesn't help when we all wear black." Ignis pointed out.

Velle looked at his clothing, and he sighed. "Noted."

With the meals done and eaten, the four were off to find the royal weapon, and Velle was left there. He waved goodbye to them, and he sighed. "Alright, let's get something more suiting." He said, talking about clothing. He then realized that he didn't have gil. He sighed again, and then chose to find Iris, to ask if there was something he could do to score some cash. He started walking back to the hotel, coming across some shops, and some kids that were running around, playing games. He smiled, and it unearthed another memory. Something involving him being a child. There were bright lights, and him in an orange jump suit. There were adults, and sounds of rattling chains. He woke up, shaking his head. He then saw the kids that were in front of him were all looking at him, with confused looks. He looked away and walked past them. "Sorry, I was daydreaming." He said, as an excuse. He then continued his way to the hotel, and came across Iris, as she was leaving. "Hey, Iris." He said, catching her attention.

She smiled and waved. "Hey, I was waiting for you."

Velle raised an eyebrow, wondering why. Iris then looked back and leaned to him. "I want to go on a hunt with you."

"And... why?"

Iris sighed and crossed her arms. "Isn't it obvious? I want to at least be useful in someway. The most I do is watch over Talcott and Jared. They'd be fine without me." She explained.

Velle thought about it. And he needed cash for new clothes. He looked at her and nodded. "Alright. Let's do it." He agreed.

Iris looked at him and smiled. "Yes! Thank you!" She said, giving him a tight hug.

Velle was a bit surprised from that, since he didn't expect it. Iris then pulled away, and blushed. "Uhh, sorry. I just got excited."

Velle shook his head. "It's alright." He said, laughing a bit. "Actually, I've got a question. Do you they have a clothing shop here? I could use something other than black." He explained.

Iris nodded. "Of course. Do you want to go now?" She asked.

"But... I ain't got the cash." Velle said, looking away, with a slight embarrassed expression.

Iris laughed a bit. "Ah, don't worry. I've got some gil. You know, as long it isn't anything expensive." She said, pointing at him.

Velle smiled. "Thanks. Alright, let's go see what they got. After this we'll go on a hunt." He said, with a smile. With that, they went to the clothing shop that Iris brought him to. Upon entering, they saw the plethora of clothing. All sorts of colours, materials, and types of clothing. While Iris was there, she decided to take a look at some clothing too. Velle checked for coats, going through what they had. Overcoats, vests, and all sorts. He then saw one, where it was a white overcoat. He checked the price and it was 350 gil. He hoped it wasn't expensive. "Hey, Iris. How's the price for this?" He said, calling her over. Iris then put this shirt down that she saw, and then looked at the price. "Huh. That isn't half bad." She said, with a smile.

Velle looked at his pants, seeing that was black too, but he was okay with that. A mix of black and white. Another memory unearthing from his mind, his fondness for mixing the two. An odd one, but it was the way he was. "I'll try it on." He said, as he then went to the changing room. He closed the door behind him and he took the hunter vest off, now being in a black long-sleeve and he turned to look at himself in the mirror, and he raised an eyebrow, seeing himself in the mirror for the first time. It then reminded him of another moment in life. Another point where he looked at himself in the mirror. But, something was different. In his memory, both of his eyes were turquoise, but now, his right eye was a shade darker. He leaned closer to his reflection, and he pulled down on the bottom of his eye to get a better look. He found it strange, but he figured he was just seeing things. He then put the overcoat on, and looked at himself. He smiled, looking how it was rather slim. "I like it." He said, to himself.

With the other black parts of clothing, the gloves, the pants and shirt, he thought it was perfect. He stepped out and looked at Iris. "How do I look?" He asked, with a smile.

Iris smiled and giggled. "Lookin' mighty fine." She said, and laughing more. She then handed him a handful of gil. "Here, I'll meet you by the road. I'll get us a hunting job." She said, as she then waved and went off to go get them a bounty.

Velle smiled, and he found her rather responsible. Certainly not how he imagined her. It was admirable to see her like this. If she could handle price and responsibilities like this, he bet she'd make a great wife to anybody that would want to be with her. He then payed for the overcoat and went out, to go find Iris by the road. He came across the group of kids again, and seeing that they were playing some sort of tag. It was cute, hearing them laugh and run around. He then went to the road, and he saw Iris, holding onto a bounty paper, and she smiled, seeing Velle. When he approached her, she showed him the paper, showing their mark. "It isn't anything exciting, but I want to make sure I get out of it alive." She said.

Velle looked at it, seeing it was an image that had tusks, and was very hairy. He remembered seeing some like it when he went on the first car ride with the others. "Oh, they don't look so dangerous." Velle said.

"Yeah, but apparently their starting to migrate nearby Lestalum, and might attract predators to the city. It's unlikely, but the hunters don't want to take the chance, small or big." Iris explained.

Velle nodded. "Alright then. Let's get to it." Velle said, clearly excited by this. "But wait, if you don't have a weapon, how will you fight?"

"Well, I can help with fixing anything not feeling good." She said, talking medical.

Velle understood what she meant and nodded. "Alright. But it would be safe to carry something to fight with."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Velle was a little worried with her statement, but he was going to trust her. He then thought about the fact he would have to protect her from them. Since she was Gladiolus' sister, he bet he would be devastated to know that his sister was hurt.

"Velle?" She called out to him.

Velle jumped a bit. "Uhh, sorry. I spaced out." He said, then looked at the road. "So... how are we going to get there?" He asked.

"It isn't that far, so we can just walk there." She said.

Velle wasn't happy that they'd have to walk, but he guessed it could be worse. "Well, I guess a walk would do us some good." He said. With that said, they began to walk to get to their mark. It was going to be quite the trip, and they got to know each other better throughout the walk. Learning about her fondness for Noctis and all sorts. How she was back at the crown city, which was where the others lived. She was sad to know that her home was gone, and Velle understood. He did try to cheer her up by saying that she at least made it out, but the people inside didn't. It was justifiable to not be happy. He tried his best, but her mind was set on it. However, she chose to not let it slow her down. With that out of the way, they made it to their mark. The looked at them from a distance, and it was just as the picture was on the bounty was. Lots of fur, and the tusks. It was about 5 of them, so it wasn't going to be hard. Velle the took his great saw out. "This shouldn't take long." He said. They would then feel a rumble on the ground, and Iris kept him from going, and told him to wait.

The creatures than began to run, and they didn't know why. Just then a massive beast jumped out from behind the rocks that were around, and it clawed at a some, while it grabbed another with it's mouth. Velle was shocked by this thing. "A behemoth." Iris said, saying what the beast was called.

Velle then saw something else about it. It was mostly wounded on it's right side, while it had one horn broken, and it's right eye seemed different than the other.

Iris than grabbed his by the wrist and pulled him. "We can't take this thing on. We have to go." She warned.

The beast than roared, as it then turned it's head to the nearby road, seeing a vehicle coming by, and it began to chase after it. Velle couldn't let this happen. He then ran after it, as fast as he could. "No! Velle!" Iris shouted.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Velle ran after the behemoth, that Iris called, "Deadeye," with his greatsaw in hand, and his will high up to save the people in the vehicle. But the behemoth was so fast, it knocked the car right out of the road, and onto the open terrain. It then went to where the car was, and it peeked inside, to take a look at it's prey that waited inside. Velle then jumped high up and revved his greatsaw, and cut deep inside the back of the behemoth. It let out a roar, and it wiggled left and right, trying to buck Velle off. Velle pulled his greatsaw off and jumped off of it, and landed on the ground. He looked at the behemoth, seeing it turn at him, and giving Velle a threatening death stare. But Velle wasn't afraid. "I'm right here you son of a bitch!" He said, holding his weapon with both weapons. He then watched as it charged at him. And something changed with Velle. He then jumped over the Deadeye and cut into it's back again and landed on the ground. His eye began to emit some sort of dark smoke. Deadeye turned around and roared again, and it gritted it's claws against the ground. Velle let one out too, and it wasn't even human. It was almost... monstrous. Deadeye jumped at him, as it lunged one of it's claws to him but he jumped back and came back to him with a spinning swing, landing a gash right against Deadeye. It knocked Deadeye's head to the side, and Velle did another one, to it's left. He then just punched Deadeye, but it knocked Deadeye back, making it grind against the ground. Iris was watching, and she was shocked to see what was happening. It was almost unbelievable. Deadeye then got back up and growled. Velle then threw his weapon to the side, and a horn grew to the side of his head. Something was wrong, Iris thought to herself. Deadeye then charged at him again, and Velle had a claw hand, and he went to the direction of his blind side, and cut deep into Deadeye's right side, leaving a long claw mark across its torso. He then jumped for the head of Deadeye, and grabbed the other undamaged horn. Deadeye shook his head left and right, trying to buck him off. But Velle held on with ease. He then tore the horn off and slammed it on Deadeye's head multiple times. Deadeye was then weakened, and unmoving, so Velle went for the finishing move. He jumped down, brought Deadeye's head up and reached his claws into his neck, and ripped right through it, carving it from right side to left. Deadeye then lied it's head on the ground, it's eyes closed, and not a sound from it. Velle tried to catch his breath, after that battle, his hands on his knees. The horns that grew from his head were beginning to disappear, as the claws were too. Velle watched as they disappeared, and he had the realization of what happened. "What the hell..." He whispered to himself. To think it was now he noticed it. Maybe he wasn't in complete control. He then turned to look at Iris, and he saw her with a frightened and worried expression, yet she still approached him. "What happened?" She asked, in utter confusion.

Velle turned his body to her. "You're guess is as good as mine." He answered, showing he didn't know. He then looked to the car where the people were, and he ran to it, to see if the people inside were alright. He went to the upside down car opened the door, and saw that it was two men inside. "Hey, are you alright?"

The one in the driver seat looked at him, and he looked like he had bruises and cuts all over his body, as for the other, didn't even look. "I'm hurting, but I'm alright. But my friend needs help. He hasn't been saying a word."

Velle looked at him, and he looked unconscious. He nodded. "Alright, bring him out and we'll look at him."

The door on the other side then opened up, Iris being on the other side. "I got him." She said, as she took the seat belt off and dragged him out. Velle helped the driver out, and they all went to the passenger, to see how he was holding up. Iris looked at him, looking at his head, and seeing a gash across the scalp. She then pulled out this item that seemed something like a medical item, and she pressed it again his head, as it then began to heal. Velle had a surprised look on his face. The gash then healed fully, and she looked at the driver. "He'll just need some rest and he'll be up and kicking again."

The driver looked at Iris and nodded. "Thanks. I owe you two so much." He said, as he then picked him up. "If you're ever looking for us, we're heading for the gas station nearby." He added, as he then walked off, slowly walking along. 

Velle sighed, looking at them, and then looked back at the car. "Man, they got hit at the wrong time. Good thing we were near." He said.

"As long as their safe now... but, you on the other hand, we need to find out what that thing was, you just did." Iris pointed out, turning to his direction.

Velle looked down, hearing her say that. She wasn't wrong, he was worried as well. "Yeah, but who should I talk to?" He asked, turning his head to her.

Iris shook his head. "I don't know, but this stays between us, okay? People will riot if they here of a human that has daemon powers."She warned.

Although Velle didn't truly believe her, but he didn't know how people were in this place. But, in the end, he didn't think it would ever happen. He then gently patted her shoulder and smiled. "But hey, we saved those people, and we technically cleared the bounty. Two, for all we know, because there's no way a named Behemoth like that didn't have a bounty. So, double the pay off for that." He said, with a smile.

Iris couldn't help but smile, seeing him smile like that. "Yeah, I guess there's 3 goods that came out of it." She said, as she then waved her hand to her direction. "Come on, let's deliver the good news." She said, with a smile, as she walked to the road. Velle followed along. Iris was different. She was, somewhat familiar, yet they never met. A memory then came to play in his head, where he saw this girl, short, wore some sort of gothic clothing, and had magic in her hands, while being shorter than him. Maybe that was the familiarity he felt. She reminded him of somebody he once knew.

With a bit of time, they made it back to Lestalum. They went to the Hotel, and Iris prepared a meal for them, as with the amount of money they made from the bounty. And with the report of Deadeye being slain, they got a bonus, a lot more than they thought. But, Iris chose to just cook with what she normally did, nothing fancy. It was a simple shepherd's pie of sorts, with beef, potatoes and corn. They seemed different than normal, since in this place, their beef was obviously from monsters, and the potatoes certainly didn't look normal, but Iris said they're completely fine. The corn was just about the same. Velle did help her a bit with the cooking, since he's only done a small amount that the HQ, so he figured he might as well pick up on it. After that was all said and done, with a few mistakes in the cooking, but Iris correcting them, they then enjoyed their meal. Velle totally loved it, as did Jared and Talcott. They gave their compliments to the chef, and then they finished up with their meals.

After a few days when the other returned only to leave because of these visions Noctis has been having, causing headaches, they had an idea of where they needed to go. To the disc, as it was called. They stuck around a little bit, for some food and talking a bit to the others, and they went off to find out why Noctis has been having visions about it.

Velle was then in the hotel room, and he was lying there, with his eyes closed and his great saw to the side. He was recollecting his thoughts on today, since a lot has happened. To think this wouldn't have happened, if the others didn't find him. He smiled, thinking he should thank them, with something to pay them back. But with what? He then heard the door open, and he saw Talcott walk in, and walk to his side. "Velle, right?" He asked.

Velle nodded, with a small smile on his face. "That's my name."

Talcott the sat beside him on the bed, looking at him. "So, how's Prince Noctis and the others like? Do they treat you properly?"

Velle raised an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. I mean, if they didn't want to treat me properly I don't think I'd be here in the first place. Kind of a strange answer, honestly."

"I was just trying to start a conversation, is all." Talcott pointed out.

"Oh, well, yeah, they treat me nice. They certainly did when they helped me out of that Imperial Base." Velle said, pointing that out to tell him out it, knowing he might want to know.

"Whoa! They busted you out of their!?" Talcott asked, with an excited look on his face. "Tell me about it!"

Velle laughed a bit. He didn't remember it at all, but Talcott was so excited, he didn't want to disappoint him. He then turned his head to him. "Alright, so, I was in a deep, dark part of the base, where I was in this tube thing, where it kept me alive." He at least remember being told that part, but that's all he knew in detail. "There was all sorts of beeping and bright buttons all over the place. I was down there, and then I look in front of me, to hear the elevator coming down, and there they were, as if they were my knights in shining armour. They got me out, after speaking to this scientist to get me out of it properly. And when they did, Gladiolus then picked me up and carried me all the way back. We used the elevator to get to the fifth floor, since that's where the elevator was. But then, all of the sudden, an alarm went off, and all the magitek troops inside woke up, going after them. They fought them off, one by one, ever so easily. And Gladiolus was literally doing it with one hand. They continued on their way up the stairs of each floor to escape, making it back to the first floor elevator, to get out of their. There were some people they came across, and they were using the elevator, until the others called them out, to tell them to wait for them. They made it in time, and they made it back to the top, which then all of the sudden, more come out as they were about to escape, from magitek engines. Of course, nothing stood in their way. With them gone, they continued out, and escaped with me by their side." Not all of the story was true, only little pieces, but he was lucky to get even a few parts of it right.

Talcott had an amazed look on his face. "Wow! Their almost like super heroes!" He said, with a smile, and his hands clenched in excitement.

Velle nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty cool."

"But, that does leave me with some questions-" Talcott was then interrupted by Velle standing up and looking outside, to see a magitek engine arriving near them. It dropped off four people, one that had a cape and a suit of armour, with no helmet, and the other three being magitek gunners. Jared then walked in the room. "Quick! Hide in the closet!" He said. Knowing that they meant trouble, he understood immediately. Velle nodded and brought Talcott in there. Talcott then had this scared look on his face, and Velle gently rubbed his shoulder. "It's okay, Jared will handle this." He whispered, trying to calm him down. He was a bit scared too, but he had to make it seem like he was calm, to encourage Talcott. They then heard multiple footsteps coming from the door, and then door was forced open, as they all walked in, the man and the three gunners. The man looked at Jared, as he walked in.

Jared looked at him. "Who are you? And what are you doing in my home?" He asked, as if he didn't know.

"I'm only going to ask once, old man." He then had the three gunners aim their rifles at him. "Where is the prince?" He demanded. Velle had a shocked look on his face, seeing that they were threatening to kill him.

"The prince? He's dead. It was all over the radio stations and newspapers." He said, trying to convince he didn't know.

"The reports are false. He still lives and breathes to this day, and I will not rest until he is put down like a dog. Don't make me ask again." He then walked in his face. "Where. Is. The prince?"

"I have no knowledge of his whereabouts. I swear to you." Jared said, looking at him.

The man then moved his head away, and he turned around. "Loqi. Let that name loop in your head." He then waved his hand to Jared, as if he was brushing him off.

Velle was watching, and he heard a click, and the loud bangs coming from the guns, as Jared screamed. His eyes shot open wide, as he realized what they had done.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Watching as Jared was shot, with assault rifles, and how they didn't hold back on their ammo, they used more than was necessary. He held Talcott's mouth and he looked at him, seeing Talcott cry muffled tears. He looked at Talcott in the eyes. "Stay. Right. Here." He said, clear anger in his voice.

Talcott had a scared look on him, tears in his eyes, but he nodded, showing he understood. Velle then let him go and he walked out of the closet and went for his Greatsaw, but he then saw Jared, and what happened. It was just horrible to look at. Velle then looked at his body, and he closed his eyes, sliding his fingers down his eyelids, to make them close.

He then grabbed his Greatsaw and went to the balcony, to see Loqi and the troops walking off, to get to their dropship, but he wasn't letting him get away that easily. He jumped off of it and revved his weapon, as he then cut one of the troops in half, as he did for the second and third one. Loqi turned to look at Velle, and Velle looked at him, the horns growing back, and the darkness emitting from his eye. "You're a dead man." Velle said.

"You!" He said, in shock. "We never should have created you!" Loqi then ran, trying to get away, and Velle ran after him. They ran through an alley way, Velle already getting close to him, but a troop came from the corner and tackled him, and it began to glow red. Velle grabbed it by the head and ripped it off, and got back up, continuing his chase.

More kept showing up, not knowing where they were coming from. Velle's guess was that Loqi was prepared for him. He guessed the news about him was already known to The Empire. Loqi was already heading to the dropship, and Velle had to deal with the troops. He then just chose to forget them and go for Loqi. The dropship was already heading off, and out of his reach, but with his daemon powers, he jumped high up, leaving a crater in the middle of the road, and grabbed onto the roof, sinking his claws into it. He went up to the top and he watched Lestalum was getting distant.

He then saw the disc of cauthuss, seeing that there were so many drop ships and something gigantic standing there. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, but he had to focus on Loqi. Knowing his claws could puncture through this easily, he used it to dig his claws into it, and he forced a hole open, to get in. He made it bigger than necessary, but with the amount of anger in his mind, he didn't care if it tore the ship in half.

He dropped in, seeing Loqi by the front, where the pilot was. There were even more magitek troops as well, and Velle revved his Grearsaw again. The troops than attacked, but Velle cut through all of them. He then walked towards Loqi, as he grabbed a nearby gun and aimed it at him. Velle pushed it away, and he grabbed Loqi by the neck, looking at him with pure anger. "You killed an old man in cold blood. You're a murderer!" He yelled.

"I did it because he didn't obey his superiors! You're no better if you kill me!" Loqi retorted.

"It's revenge!" Velle countered. He then looked at the pilot, and then to Loqi and had an evil grin. He used his claw to puncture right through the head, killing the pilot, being another troop. He then broke all the buttons that were crucial to flying. He then walked to the hole. "Have fun!" He said, as he then jumped up, but stayed on the top. He left Loqi to die in a crash landing.

Loqi then went to the pilot seat, to look at it all, and he couldn't find anything still working. All sparking and loud beeping coming from them. "Dammit!"

In Velle's prospective, they were heading, straight for the ground, them being in the desert area of the place. They were heading closer and closer to the ground, as he heard an explosion on the side of the ship.

Velle then jumped off of it, and landed on the ground, as he watched the ship crash, leaving a long drag mark across the field, as flames began to engulf it. To him, it was a beautiful sight, to watch a killer die in a horrific way. And since it was becoming nighttime, the fire looked even better.

He then watched as Loqi crawled out of the side, where there was a hidden door, where the pilot should be. Velle then walked towards him, as he watched him crawl, with a piece of metal through his leg. He stomped on Loqi's chest, to stop him, hearing him scream in pain.

Velle leaned down to Loqi's ear. "How ass-backwards is this? Normally, it's somebody else begging, desperate for their life, right? Now you know how it feels." He said. Loqi didn't reply, all he did was grunt in pain.

He then watched as daemons began to appear from the ground, a few being round creatures with small arms, all an orange colour, while a massive one came out, a body made of armour, and a massive sword. He looked at them, and they all looked at him. He smiled, as he then removed his foot from Loqi.

He then looked at the Iron Giant, as he then nodded, as it then nodded back. The armoured giant then picked Loqi up, and looked at him, Loqi struggling to be let go. Velle then walked away, an evil grin on his face, as he then closed his eyes, to listen closely. A loud scream.

* **CRUNCH***

His grin grew wider, having the satisfaction of knowing he removed a great evil in this world. He then looked at the moon rise from the hills, and then back to the road. "Right. Lestalum." He said, as he made his way back. The journey back was long, and it came across a few more daemons out there, but he didn't bother them, and they didn't bother him. He didn't even question why they didn't try to kill him. He knew about their hostility, but it seemed they didn't have it for him. He just assumed it had to do with the fact he's half-daemon. First time, he thought of it as a curse, something scary, something he didn't want, but now, he began to enjoy these powers. He could only imagine what kind of power he could get with this, if getting more was possible. Or maybe, there's some he hasn't discovered, yet.

He then eventually made it back to Lestalum, seeing there were no magitek troops around. It made him happy. But then, the reminder of Jared's death came back, the smile disappearing immediately. He looked down, and then back at his hands. He clenched his fist. "I think I shouldn't let these powers get to my head. I could cause more hurt to the people I know more than my enemies." He said to himself. He also saw that nobody was outside. Not for the fact that it was night, but they were all hiding. It was night time, so he guessed they all chose to stay inside. With that in his head, he returned to the hotel, to find the others in the room, where Jared was. They all looked at him, as he walked in. He saw Iris and Talcott cry, for Jared. He looked down, with a saddened look. "I did as I was told... and I hid with Talcott in the closet."

As much as Velle wanted to believe that it wasn't his, he felt like there was a part of it. Sure, it was mostly because of Loqi's ruthlessness, but he could have easily barged in during that situation. He would accept the fact he would be partly to blame for his death.

The rest of the night mostly fell silent, as Jared body was taken by hunters who came in and cleaned up the scene. It certainly wasn't easy to accept, but he was gone. After all that happened, they decided to lay low for a while. The imperials would definitely be after them now, after Loqi's death. Although they were already, now they'd definitely mean business after this. Throughout the week, with the others returning and hearing the sad news, Velle took his first dose of the substance he needed, Upon use, Velle always had this twitch to his head, and this shaky sigh in satisfaction. The others were suspicious of that, but they figured it was some small side effects. The next few days had the same effect. But, Velle was used to it, as the others grew used to it too, but still were cautious of what it could mean.

Eventually, the week passed by, laying low now over. Velle went over at the cup noddle shop, having a simple meal during lunch. With his meal, he went to one of the benches that had a wonderful view. He was watching the distance, with his Greatsaw by his side. He then heard walking coming towards him, and he turned his head to the direction. "Now that's a weapon I haven't seen before. Care for a picture?" Said who was approaching him, a rather jolly, sweaty man in a shirt that said, 'Meteor.'

Velle was a bit disgusted with this guy's appearance, but he wasn't going to say anything about it. "Umm, well, I guess I have time for one." Velle said, going to stand up, but was kept down.

"Stay there, it's perfect. Just look that way and keep eating your food." He said, as he then took his camera he had around his neck and aimed it to him. Velle tried his best to keep his eyes from the camera, by focusing on the meteor, and his noodles in hand, with his greatsaw next to him. And Meteor was in front of them, as it was, as mentioned by Ignis before, the Disc of Cauthus. He then heard the click come from the camera and he turned to look at the man. "How is it?"

"Great. Oh, forgot to say, you don't mind being on a magazine, do you?" He asked.

Velle shook his head. "Not at all. I'm fine with that." It was a bit exciting to him, to know he was going to be on a magazine. He just hoped in a popular one at least. "If you don't mind me asking, what caught your attention?"

"Well, it's not everyday I come across a guy with white hair, and a massive chainsaw." He explained. "Vyv, by the way." He added, saying his name.

"Velle, Velle Vontta." Velle introduced.

"Thanks. Be sure to come back, I'll give you the issue when it comes out." Vyv said, as he then walked off.

Velle laughed a bit, watching him walk away. It was his first time, as far as he knew, of popular recognition. He then continued to eat his noodles. He looked to his right, to see Gladiolus, with his own cup of noodles, and he sat next to Velle, Velle moving his Greatsaw out of the way.

"So, while we were gone, you kept a good eye on my sister?" He asked, looking at him.

"Well, it came to mind when I imagined you tearing me limb from limb if I didn't." Velle replied sarcastically.

"As long as you made sure she was alright. But, she did mention something about hunting Deadeye, the behemoth."

Velle froze as he said that, thinking he would be furious.

"Care to explain?"

Velle figured there was no point in lying. He looked at him and nodded. "I won't lie to you, Gladio. We did go on a hunt, but the last thing we wanted to hunt was Deadeye. But, things got out of hand." He explained. "Normally, it was those fur covered things with the tusks." He added to the explanation.

"And... that somehow lead to you guys killing Deadeye?" Galdiolus asked in disbelief.

"Well, it wasn't planned, exactly. Predators tend to hunt prey, you know." Velle responded, with a bit of an impatient tone.

Gladiolus looked away and ate some of the cup noodles. "Well, I guess I could give you some credit for keeping her safe. But, I find it hard to believe you fought Deadeye on your own."

Velle looked down at his hands, and saw one of the claws were forming around his wrists, and he covered them with his sleeves. "Well, pure luck, I guess." Velle said, keeping it a secret. "Plus, we kind of were put on a tough spot when there were people being attacked by Deadeye."

Gladiolus turned his head to him, hearing that he did it for saving people. Admirable. "Then again, a flaming chainsaw against the skin of a behemoth is something I'd bet could cut through easily." Gladiolus pointed out. "Plus, with that foggy memory of yours, you probably have some fighting experience you don't remember."

Velle nodded. "Yeah, that could be it."

Gladiolus then patted his shoulder and he looked at him, seeing Gladiolus smile. "In the end, thanks for protecting her. Keep this up and you just might get my blessing." Gladiolus teased, and burst out laughing.

Velle couldn't help but laugh with him, and he began to blush too at the thought of being romantic with Iris, but he bet it wouldn't work. At least that's what he thought.

"You know, at first I thought you were just gonna be a burden to us, but now, I can see you can handle your own." Gladiolus said, looking at him.

"Well, I get by." Velle said, eating some of his cup noodles.

"Wanna the beauty behind cup noodles?" Gladiolus asked, completely changing the subject.

Velle raised an eyebrow, looking at him. "There's beauty behind cup noodles?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The five were in the car, all arriving to find one of the royal weapons Noctis needed to find. According to their source, which was Talcott, there was one located at a location known as "The Rock of Ravatogh." It was also a volcano, and had a Monster's nest at the very top. Needless to say, they were in for one hell of a hike. They stopped at the area where there was a food cart, and had a shop there too. Velle smiled, smelling the scent of meat. "Oooh, I like what I smell." He commented.

"Too bad you couldn't say the same for Ignis' cooking last night." Prompto said, in a snarky tone.

"Well, I'm not exactly a big fan of vegetables." Velle said, crossing his arms.

"You and me both." Noctis said, as they all exit the car. Velle took a seat at the nearby table, Gladiolus, Prompto and Noctis joining him. Ignis went in the store to see what they had.

"So, a hell of a hike we have going for us." Velle commented.

"If it means getting all the royal weapons, so be it." Noctis said, looking at Velle.

Prompto sighed. "Man, of all the places it could be, why all the way up there?" He complained.

"Well, be glad we don't have to swim through lava to find it." Velle commented.

"If it was in lava, it probably wouldn't have been found in the first place." Gladiolus pointed.

"You get my point."

The owner of the cooking cart walked to them. "So, what'll it be?" He asked.

"Before that, we have some questions about The Rock of Ravatogh." Velle said, looking at him.

The man nodded. "What would you like to know?"

"We're looking to climb it. Anything to watch out for?" Velle asked.

The man had a bit of a worried pause, and he sighed in the same tone. "Well, there are spiracorns, and scorpions all over. And Wyverns too. But one thing you should watch out for is the Zu that lives up there. Nest and everything." He explain. "Oh! And there's hot spots all over up there, where lava will surely burn your feet." He added.

"Hmm. What about getting to the top. Is there anything you can point out?" Gladiolus asked.

"Tons. Steep climbs, and some climbing rocky walls, the monsters I've mentioned earlier, and the blazing heat. So, be sure to go prepared." He warned.

"Well, that's what we're here for. A hefty meal and packing tons of potions." Velle pointed out, with a smile.

The man nodded. "Then may I suggest our (Meat dish). It's sure to give you the energy you'll need to climb the mountain."

"Then we'll take it." Noctis said, saying what they're all eating.

The man nodded. "You got it. So it'll be for four?"

"Five. Our other friend is in the shop right now." Prompto informed.

"Alright." He then walked back to his cart and began to prepare the food. The four looked at each other talked the whole time. Some talk about Velle, asking about his memory, and Velle asking about how the others met each other. He got a detailed story from them, at least from Gladiolus and Prompto anyway, Noctis just saying, "We met at school." He sort of expected that from Noctis, since he's known him for a while now. But he found their origins interesting, how the other two met him because they were to stay by their side, but Prompto, he was the one lucky guy to befriend a prince. Then there's him, a freak of nature, saved by a prince, and taken by him. Noctis surely had that strange trick of attracting the strangest people. With a bit more time spent, their food was finished, Ignis being at the table now, and them beginning to eat their food. The way it looked was a leg of some sort, the bone sticking out, and a piece of lettuce on the side. Velle certainly loved it, from the texture of it and the fact it was just plain meat. The others liked it, but they weren't as enthusiastic as Velle was. With the meal done and all stocked up and ready to go, the five made their way to the volcanic mountain, ready to find their way to the top. They found the way to start their hike, Prompto groaning. "God... it looks soooooo high up."

"Suck it up. You want to impress Cindy? Climb this like a champ." Velle said, now knowing about his liking of her.

Prompto looked away. "I guess I could do it for her." He said, as they began to make their way up.

Throughout the first bit of climbing their way up, all they came across was a few scorpions, nothing they couldn't handle. They then came across more, but they were fighting against horses with horns that spiraled on their forehead. They observed for a bit of time, letting them deal with each other. It made Velle think, that even animals fought against each other, making him remember another piece of his memory, something involving to creatures fighting against each other, while he was behind cover, instead these creatures were bigger and more scary looking. The Spiracorns dealt with the scorpions, having only two left, and the five dealt with them. They then came across the heated grounds as they were told about. They did their best to avoid it, but sometimes they had to run across some of it, occasional yelps coming from them. But they went past it, and they found another path, that went higher, but was wyverns blocked the path. So, the five knew what they needed to do. With their weapons in hand, they fought the wyverns, them being a little stronger than they thought, but they handled it with no trouble.

They saw that the path up ahead, they'd have to climb up the rock wall. "Hmm, rock climbing without the safety equipment. This day just keeps getting more dangerous." Velle commented.

"Welcome to protecting the prince, I'll be your guide." Gladiolus said sarcastically.

Velle chuckled, as they then began to climb up the rock wall, Prompto watching them. "I would really appreciate it if somebody could carry me all the way to the top."

"If I can do it, somebody with a greatsaw on their back, than you can too." Velle retorted, the four already past the first rock wall. Prompto sighed and then made his way to the top with the others. They then saw that there was more to the mountain. "Sheesh, you'd think after all the people that climbed this, somebody would make stairs." Noctis said.

"Even then, I'd doubt you'd want to go up all the stairs." Gladiolus pointed out.

"But it would be quicker and less painful than this." Noctis added.

Velle couldn't help but agree, this climb was ridiculous, but he didn't want to show it bothered him. The climb they had this time was mostly sandy, so it was going to be very hard on their legs. Prompto nearly fell, but Gladiolus got him back up. Velle made it up, and he helped the others up when they got close enough, helping each one at a time. They then were welcomed by a vast view of the top of the mountain. Velle took a closer step, seeing the view. "Wow... I think this makes the hike all worth it. Well, other than getting that royal weapon." Velle said.

"Let's just hope that Zu isn't around. We're gonna have to act fast." Gladiolus said, as they then began to make their way to where the Royal weapon was said to be spotted. Velle looked down, to see a big crater that looked so empty, not a living was in there. He then caught up with the others, being distracted by said view. He then saw there was something up ahead, more monsters. They saw what it was, it being big wasp like monsters. "Oh, hell no!" Velle said, turning around, looking away.

The other turned to look at him. "What's wrong?" Ignis asked.

Velle wasn't even looking at Ignis when he asked him. "What... the hell are those things!?" He said, in a clearly frightened state.

"Huh? The killer wasps? Well, yeah their gross but isn't that overreacting a little too much?" Prompto asked.

Velle looked at him dead in the eyes. "I. Hate. Bugs." He added with a point directly to the face. "And it doesn't exactly help when they're bigger than me."

"Takes on a behemoth on his own, yet he's scared of a wasp." Gladiolus teased.

"Screw you." Velle retorted, keeping his eyes away from them.

"Just light your greatsaw on fire. I'm sure bugs aren't entirely fond of fire." Noctis said for advice.

"Correct. They are vulnerable to it." Ignis said. He then handed him a rock that had a red glow to it, almost looking like magma. "Here, throw this at them. They'll burn up faster than you realize." Velle took it in his hand, feeling the heat in his hands, but it didn't hurt. He then looked at the killer wasps flying around, and he shivered, hearing the sound of their buzzing. He then threw the rock, and watched as it made a fiery explosion, seeing all there was on fire. The killer wasps fell to the ground, engulfed by flames. Velle began to laugh in surprise, as it was way more than he expected from a small rock of fire. "Please tell me I can make those on my own." Velle said, hoping it could be so.

Ignis shook his head. "Unfortunately, you cannot. However, Noctis can make them with the right amount of fire energy, including lightning and ice." Ignis explained.

Velle looked at Noctis for a second, and then back to the path where those killer wasps were. He still shuttered at their burnt husks, but a part of him was relieved to know they were dead. They continued on the rocky path, and Velle groaned, seeing there were more. "Okay, that's it." Velle said, as he then pulled his greatsaw out, and revved it, grinding it against rock, and setting it on fire. He ran at it, although his hatred for bugs was still making him hesitant, but he still charged forth. "Velle!" Gladiolus shouted, going to grab him and stop him, but Velle was quick enough to avoid it. He jumped to the nearest Killer wasp and saw right through it, tearing it right in half. He looked to his right, to see one more and two wyverns. He then saw the others were coming to his side. They then fought against them, Velle killing the Killer wasp, and then helping the others with the two wyverns, even though the last thing they needed was help. The fight wasn't long, since it's nothing they couldn't handle. Velle looked at them, breathing lightly. "This royal weapon better be there when we find it's tomb."

"I'm sure it'll be there. Only we have access to them." Noctis pointed out, showing he had the key. Velle nodded and continued forth, going down a path that lead to a nest, with eggs that were bigger than them. Velle carefully took a closer look at the eggs, making sure not to damage the nest. "Wow... imagine how big of an omlette we could make." Velle pointed out, looking at the others.

"If there's something up here laying eggs that size, I don't want to know what it's like when it's angry." Prompto said, looking around, scared.

"Then let's get that royal weapon and get out as fast as possible." Noctis said, as he then slid down the edge from the nest, that lead to the crater below. One by one they slid down to the crater, and they looked around, to see if they could find it anywhere. With a bit of exploring, they found a path that lead to a vast view of the place, seeing The Regalia, the car, from there. He looked at Prompto, seeing him snap a shot of the view, forgetting that Prompto had that camera in the first place. They continued to walk down the path and found the tomb. Velle hadn't seen any of these before, and he found it looked beautiful. He watched as Noctis opened the door, placing the key and turning it then putting it away. The doors, despite small, slowly opened, and the five walked in, seeing the weapon that waited for him. "Whoa..." Velle said to himself, as he looked at it.

"Amazing, right?" Prompto said, looking at it himself.

"Certainly fit for a king." Gladiolus commented. They then stood back, Velle being patted, being told to move. As they did, Noctis placed hand close to the royal weapon, it being a great mace. It floated in the air, making glass like noises as it then aimed it's self towards Noctis, and shot into him, him staggering back a bit. A few more weapons floated around him, six weapons in total, counting the one they got. Velle watched, as the glass weapons floated around him, although they only appeared as such for the time being. Noctis then looked at the others. "Alright, we're done here. Let's sit down and play some video games." He said, walking past them.

Velle smiled, seeing that despite the massive responsibility he carried with each weapon he got, he could still relax and remain calm. It was admirable. If he knew of him as a kid, he'd definitely be a role model. Velle went with Noctis, as did the others, going to make their way back to the exit of this place, until they heard something coming their way. They felt strong winds coming and they looked to where they could see it, and it was the Zu that had it's nest, a massive black bird with wings on it's body and head, it's beak seeming to be serrated. "You've got to be kidding me." Velle said, not believing what he was seeing. They saw where it landed, right on it's nest, and lying on it, to warm it's eggs. They could all see it, and it wasn't looking at their direction, giving them an opening to sneak away. Velle then spotted a way they could go, a big hole at the end of the crater. Remaining silent, he motioned his head, telling them to follow him, and they slowly snuck their way to it. Prompto was shakily breathing, scared out of his mind. They made it to the exit, the exit being a slope that was a shortcut, and one by one they slid down the slop that was there. They could have fought that massive Zu, but that wasn't what they were there for. Plus, it was risky, at least compared to other things they've done. As they made it to the bottom of the slope, there being another, they lied there for a second.

"Oh, em, Gee. We better not have to go through anything like that ever again." Prompto said, holding his head, lying his head back.

"Considering we got what we needed, I'd say it was worth it." Velle said, with a smile.

Prompto nodded. "Yeah... as long as we got something out of it."

"Well, wouldn't you say those shots were worth the trouble?" Gladiolus asked. Prompto the looked at his camera, looking at the shots he got, Velle scooting closer to take a look at what he got. Prompto was a frequent photo taker, and he would either get good shots, or questionable ones. He scrolled through what he had, seeing one with the guys all fighting the wyverns, one with all of them climbing up that rock wall, and the one with the beautiful view. "Hmm, I like the one with the view." Velle said.

"Yeah, me too." Prompto said, as he then chose to save that one out of the three. It was nice, that Prompto was taking pictures of him, as if he wanted to savour their partnership. Maybe taking up on photography would be a good idea. He could savour moments of his own.

"Alright, come on, let's head back. We've got other stuff to do." Gladiolus said, as they all went down the other slope.

Velle patted Prompto's back, looking at him. "Race you to the bottom." 

"Oh, you're on!" Prompto said, as they both slid down the slope.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N

I feel I should explain this first, before you read it. Like the tour quests in Final Fantasy XV, it'll be about Velle having one with each character. So... I guess you could consider this filler? Sure, it's them hanging out during dawn doing stuff and growing closer together, but I feel like it's filler, I don't know.

Chapter 9

 **On your marks**

Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto all slept in the tent, on top of a platform made of rock, that glowed a light blue, they were in a place called a safe haven. Where it's completely safe from the daemons. But, Velle slept in the car. And to be sure the daemons didn't see him in there, he shrouded himself in a blanket, so he wasn't visible. Plus, with his daemon powers, maybe regardless, they won't hurt him. He then heard a knock on the door, as he then saw Prompto outside. He crawled to him, and lowered the window, since the car had the roof over it now. "Yes, Prompto?" Velle said, in a tired voice.

"Know, I bet you're not exactly happy with it, but there's something I want to do and I need your help." Prompto proposed.

"And that is?" Velle asked.

"Apparently, that monster that you killed, Deadeye, it was giving the chocobos the creeps, since that thing could tear them to shreds. But now that we can go rent some, we should totally do so and snap some shots while we ride them. Come on. What do ya say?" Prompto said, hoping for him to say yes.

Velle thought about it, and he hadn't seen a chocobo. Or at least he couldn't remember what one was. He looked at Prompto and nodded. "Alright. Let's do it."

Prompto fist pumped in the air. "Alright! Right at dawn! We ride off to the chocobos!" He said in excitement, then walking back to the tent.

Velle smiled, seeing him so happy. It was encouraging, making him want to try stuff like this more often. He lied his head back, lulling back to sleep.

After a nice 5 hours of sleep, he heard the same knock, seeing Prompto, and Velle sighed, but in a happy way, getting up and out of the car. "So, ready to see the chocobos?" Prompto asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Velle said, yawning. Tired he may be, but it could be worse.

Prompto nodded. "Alright! Let's get a move on!" He said, as he then walked to the direction of where they were.

"You seem more energetic than usual." Velle said, looking at him practically bounce in excitement.

"It's chocobos dude! They're the best! They're the cutest things ever!" Prompto said, his tone proving Velle's point. Although, he found it nice to see him so happy. It made him happy too. They walked a distance to reach the chocobo ranch, seeing chocobo in their stalls, and the shop they had. Prompto was practically bouncing with excitement. "Oh yeah! Rental cash is on me. My treat." He said, as he then brought him to the owner of the ranch, paying him the rent for one day, since they were using it for only the morning. Prompto then went to one, getting on the back of it. "Alright, let's-" He then saw as Velle was feeding one, the chocobo eating the food it was fed happily. Velle then walked to it and gave it a big hug. "I think I found the one I'm riding." Velle said, with a smile.

Prompto gasped, thinking that was amazing to see him do that. Plus, the way the chocobo liked him, he found it adorable. He took a picture, Velle looking at him. He smiled, and then saddled up, getting on the chocobo. "Alright... yeah, I remember." Velle said, as he then made the chocobo walk around. "Yeah, I remember." He repeated, recalling how to ride a chocobo. Velle then looked at Prompto, and nodded. "Alright, enough horsing around. Let's ride." He said, as he kicked the sides, making the chocobo run, Prompto doing the same to catch up. They ran on the road for a bit, since it was early in the morning, so not many people were out driving as of now. So, they had the roads to themselves. Velle looked back at Prompto catching up to his side, and he looked forward, smiling. It felt nice, to feel the wind against him, riding on top of something as a faster speed than normal. Sure, the regalia could go even faster, but it felt better to be on chocobo. It made him feel like he could fly. It made him daydream, imagining if he actually was flying, wings on his back, high up in the air. But he woke up to the sound of Prompto shouting. "See ya slowpoke!" He shouted, going past him.

Velle grinned. "Oh, it's on." He said to himself, as he then kicked the sides of the chocobo, making it run faster. Velle caught up to Prompto's side, pushing him to tease, and Prompto pushed back, the two beginning to laugh, then turned to the open terrain, running around freely. They practically made their own race, where it started at the ranch, then around the lake, and to the safe haven, and back to the ranch. Despite Velle's efforts, Prompto won the race, cheering as they got there. Velle applauded for him and pretended as if he was on the radio, announcing his victory. Prompto played along, saying how he was number one, and the champion in the history of chocobo races. After that bit, they both looked at each other, and burst out laughing, of how they were acting so strange. They then made their way back to the safe haven, talking on the way.

"It's been a while since I've had a chocobo race." Prompto said.

"And it seems you haven't lost your touch." Velle pointed out.

"Well, you were pretty good yourself. You were doing great, until I beat you, of course."

Velle laughed. "Go ahead, boast about it."

"Nah, I'm good." Prompto said, both laughing at the end.

 **The old fashioned way**

Velle was sitting at the fire, at night, as everybody else was in bed, but he felt a pat on his back, and turned to look, to see Gladiolus being there. Velle stood up and looked at him. "Yeah?"

"We're on breakfast duty for this morning, so dawn is when we look for it." Gladiolus said.

"Sounds good to me. What are hunting?" Velle asked.

"Fish. Ignis said we could use some brain food." Gladiolus answered.

"I figured you and Ignis were the last ones that could use brain food." Velle teased.

"Well, it's good for the mind. At dawn, he hunt for fish." Gladiolus repeated, as to leave him with that. Velle slept in the car like always, and with a few hours of sleep, he was woken up by the knock on the window, seeing Gladiolus. Velle crawled out the car, and yawned as he got out, looking at Gladiolus. "Alright, let's catch a big one. So we can lots of brain power." Velle said, in a tired tone.

"I see you're not fully awake yet. Come on, I know a way that'll wake you up in no time." Gladiolus proposed.

Velle rubbed his eyes. "Well, let's hear it."

"Follow me, I'll show you what we have to do." Gladiolus said, then bringing him to the fishing spot that was nearby. The walk was nice, seeing the sunrise right next to the beach. If he were with a girl, he'd consider this romantic. But he's with Gladiolus, so he didn't think that at all. As they made it to the fishing spot, on the port that you stood to see them. He looked at the fish, seeing that there were quite a bit. He looked back at Gladiolus. "So, how are we catching these?" He asked.

"With our bare hands. It'll help you wake up and work your body out." Gladiolus said. "Now take off your coat, unless you want to swim with the weight of a brick."

Velle began to blush, seeing he was going to reveal skin. But, he figured that he would have to toughen up at some point. Turning away, he took his coat off, but he kept his top on. "This is as far as I'm going." He said, looking away.

Gladiolus shrugged and slid his coat off, showing off his muscle. "Suit yourself." He said, then looking at the fish, scanning which one to go for. "Alright, so we need to get 5, one for each. And make sure they're decently sized. Or, catching two small ones for one would work too."

Velle nodded. "So, how do you suggest we go for these?"

"We dive in and catch 'em as quick as we can. Watch." Gladiolus said, to demonstrate what he meant. He remained silent for a few seconds, and then dived right in the water, making a big splash. Velle looked in the water, to see what was happening, and he watched as Gladiolus came from the water, with a big in hand, about the side of his forearm, Velle being impressed. Gladiolus grinned, showing the fish he got. "And that's how it's done." He said, then placing it on the port. Velle watched as the fish flopped back and forth, and then eventually stopped. He then looked at the fish in the water, trying to find one he wanted to grab. A few came back after Gladiolus' big splash, so he choices were limited from what to get. Not many were big, but he could nab some that were a good size. He positioned himself to get ready to jump for one, and with his target sighted, he jumped for it, diving for the fish and nabbing it right on the tail, while immediately noticing another and grabbing it by the tail too. He then came out the water, breathing quickly from the cold water, but began to laugh as he pulled both fish out. "Look at that! Two fish baby!" He said, then throwing them on the port.

Gladiolus then jumped right next to him, splashing all over him, making him swallow some sea water, him trying to spit the flavour out. Gladiolus then caught two as well, already landing breakfast for everybody. He grinned. "Nothing I can't do either."

Velle scoffed at him and then splashed water at him, Gladiolus doing the same, Velle laughing, then getting into a splash fight. After a bit of that, Velle raising the white flag, they then got out and dried themselves up. Velle then looked where they parked the car, seeing there was a group of 3 girls, one with her phone out, all three giggling and aimed towards them. Velle patted Gladiolus' back to get his attention, and he motioned his head towards them. "Don't look now, but those girls are totally recording you."

Gladiolus looked at them, and he then gently pushed Velle. "Recording US. You've got some good looks yourself."

"Yeah, but you've got that and muscles. There's no way their choosing to look at me over you." Velle said, turning to him.

"Well, some girls prefer scrawny dudes over muscles." Gladiolus pointed out.

"So I'm scrawny now?" Velle asked, but still smiled, not taking any offence to it.

"Well, it makes me wonder how you hold that greatsaw with tiny arms like yours."

Velle snarled at him. "Alright, tough guy. Let's see what you got. We go back to camp and we duel... you know, until one admits defeat."

Gladiolus grinned. "You're on. Just don't cry when I whoop you to the ground."

"We'll see about that." Velle said.

And it came to no big surprise that Gladiolus, due to his shield. But to Gladiolus, as he said, he put up on hell of a fight. His swings were strong and a decent speed, but Gladiolus had a lot of experience in combat, so that helped. Gladiolus picked him up from the ground. "Alright, I bet you're wide awake by now. Come on, let's bring breakfast to the guys." Gladiolus said, as they then brought the fish they caught to the camp.

"You put up a good hustle, Velle."

"Well, I guess there's more than meets the eye with this scrawny boy."

 **Chef's knife**

Camping after a dungeon they had to explore to find another of the royal weapons, a weapon that was named, "The sword of the Tall," It was a big dungeon, so it was exhausting for the five, but thankfully, they had a haven nearby. Despite all of them sore and tired, they still needed to eat. Ignis was in charge of that, but Velle was rather curious about cooking, and wanted to pick up on it. He went in the tent where Ignis began to cook, smelling the nice smell of their recent hunt. "Hey, Ignis? I want to pick up on cooking." Velle said, with no warning about it or anything.

Ignis looked at him. "Rather out of nowhere, but I would be lying if I said I didn't want somebody to help me with the dishes. Perhaps I can show you." He said, then looking at the meal. "Alright, pay close attention. This meal is rather fancy than most we have." He pointed out. Velle nodded and looked at the slab of meat that was grilling, and he looked at Ignis, as he was looking around. He raised an eyebrow. "Looking for something?"

"I can't seem to find the kitchen knife." Ignis said, looking at drawers and around the tent.

Velle looked outside, to the others. "Hey, have you guys seen Ignis' kitchen knife?"

They all shook their heads, as Velle then looked to the right, to seen a blue creature with yellow eyes, a cloak, with a kitchen knife and a lantern.

Ignis walked out, looking at it. "It seems we've found our thief."

"Why would that thing our knife?" Velle asked, not knowing about the creature.

"A Tonberry's choice of weapon. And it seems to take a liking in our knife." Ignis said.

"So, we're gonna get it then. And since it's a daemon, we don't have to ask nicely." Velle said, then grabbing his greatsaw, and began to walk towards it.

Ignis held him by the shoulder for a second. "Hold on, it's more dangerous than it seems." Ignis pointed out. "It may be just a knife, but it's known for killing with a single blow."

"For real?" Velle asked, then looking at the Tonberry, seeing it begin to approach them. "Well, we'll just have to be careful.

The others then drew their weapons, Velle walked to it, seeing the Tonberry was slow, thinking this wasn't anything to worry about. Just then, the knife it held, grew bigger, in a bright purple flame, and swung at him with a quick slash, Velle crouching immediately, avoiding the hit. It then swung twice, Velle blocking one but getting hit by the other, throwing him to the ground. The others then rushed to his side, Prompto getting a head shot with his handgun, making the Tonberry jump back. "Okay, I underestimated that thing." Velle said, getting up.

"Just remain cautious and we'll all get out of this." Ignis said, summoning his daggers in his hands. With that in mind, Velle got back up and looked at the enemy. The strikes were fast and packed a punch, so having somebody by his side would definitely help. To start off the attack, Velle played distraction, as he went after it, to get it's attention. And as he did, the Tonberry swung at him with that flamed knife, Velle jumping back to avoid the strikes. Noctis and Gladiolus came from behind and struck with greatswords, landing two damaging strikes from behind. The Tonberry flew in the air a bit, after the two heavy strikes, Ignis then jumping up and slashing past it. It then landed on it's feet, it's knife flaming up again, slashing at Gladiolus and Noctis, Gladiolus using his shield to block the strikes, Noctis getting behind him.

Prompto then landed another headshot against the Tonberry, and Velle came in, landing a heavy strike against the back of the Tonberry, sending it in the air, Noctis warping to it, landing a warp strike against it's side.

"Velle!" Ignis shouted, as he then threw him one of those spells Noctis can make, but as soon as Velle caught it, it coated his weapon in fire. But he saw how this would work. Velle then revved it against a rock, making it's flames even stronger.

Velle then charged at the Tonberry, watching it swing at him with the flamed knife, but Velle parried it with his greatsaw, then landing a massive strike on it's head, and another, leaving it with burns across it's body, as well as cuts. Velle was then about to land the final blow, him jumping back and jumping up high to slam down against it, but it counted with a regular stab with the knife, but Prompto scored another shot on, sending it back, Velle still getting the final strike, before it got out of his reach. Velle then landed on the ground, looking at the spot it got him. He then all of the sudden felt faint, and fell to the ground.

"Velle!" Prompto shouted, running to his side. He then pulled out a glowing orange feather, known as a Phoenix down. He placed it against his chest, then others joining Velle's side, and then the feather made his body light up, Velle's eyes shooting open, looking at the others. Velle rubbed his eyes, and laughed a bit. "Huh, you weren't kidding when you said they could kill in a single hit."

The four sighed in relief, knowing he was alive.

"That was reckless, Velle." Gladiolus scolded.

Velle shrugged. "Well, as long as I have you guys, I've got nothing to worry about." Velle said.

"And if we weren't around?" Noctis asked.

Velle was about to reply to that, but he looked down a little. "Okay, maybe I should be more careful." He said, looking at them.

Prompto then helped him up. "Come on, do more than that. We need you with us. I mean, you're good in a fight and it's nice to have fresh blood with us."

Listening to what Prompto said, it was a bit heartwarming to know Prompto actually cared, as much as the others. He smiled, and then looked at the knife on the ground, inspecting it. "So... are we still gonna use this or..."

Ignis looked at it. "It seems to be fine. No flames emitting from it. I suppose it could still be used."

Velle smiled. "Sweet, now let's get cooking, I'm starving." Velle said, as after a bit of time, with Velle being teached by Ignis on how to cook the meal they were having. They had the meal later than they should, but to the group, it was a great meal, and Velle was happy to learn some tips on cooking. He figured he could use it down the line, as he explained to Ignis, and Ignis said he was more than happy to explain some more if they were to cook again.

 **King of Fishing**

Velle heard the knock on the door in the Regalia, and he opened his eyes, to see it was Ignis, Gladiolus and Prompto all there. He lifted himself up and looked at them through the window. "Yeah?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"We need to use the Regalia to replenish our supplies for the nearby area where they say there's another royal weapon. Taken your current tired state, I'd say you'd rather get some more sleep than tag along." Ignis explained.

Velle got out of the car, sighing. "I'll keep an eye on Noctis. I'll just dunk my head in the lake and I'll be wide awake." He offered, seeing Noctis wasn't with them. As he then went down to the safe haven, the other three then drove off.

He thought that Noctis would be sleeping, but it turns out that he was fishing by the lake. During the time he was with them, he learned that Noctis loved to sleep in. But he guessed he preferred to fish instead.

Before he went off, he looked up at the sun, and then checked one of the phones at camp, and saw that it was 7:27am, almost time for his dose. But he figured he should take it now. He never liked using that stuff, but it was either that or death. He then found it in the tent, remembering that he trust Ignis with them, and he took one of the ones that wasn't refilling it's self. He turned the end of it that made a needle pop out, and stabbed it against his forearm, clenching his fist, having the satisfied sigh, and the loud heart beat he would get. He pulled it out and put it back to the side, and decided to go see how Noctis was doing.

As he walked down, Noctis turned to see Velle, and motioned his head. "Morning."

"Good morning." Velle greeted, as he then leaned down to the water to splash some on his face.

"Wait, don't do that. You'll scare the fish." Noctis warned.

Velle looked at him, and back at the water, getting up. "Right, sorry." With his eyes, he followed the line on the fishing pole that went to the water, seeing that nothing was happening. He could see some fish swimming around the lure. He looked at Noctis again, to see he was completely silent. He figured he should be too.

After a bit of silence, Noctis moved forward a bit, feeling something tug on his line, and he pulled right back, hooking a fish. "Got one!" He said, as he then moved the pole left and right every so often, and reeled the line, watching a the ripple of water that was the fish come closer with every second.

Velle watched as Noctis then brought the fish in, and pulled it out of the water, the fish being rather big, but he held it with one arm. "Nice." Noctis complimented to himself.

Velle looked at the fish, taking a look at the scales and it's strange shape. "Is it edible? Or it's a trophy you're aiming for?" Velle asked.

"I think it's edible. I'm sure I've caught one of these before, so it should be." Noctis pointed out, as he placed it on the side. He then looked at Velle and then to his pole, and handed it to him. "Here, you give it a shot." He offered.

Velle had a bit of a surprised look on his face, seeing that he was wanting him to try. "Oh, okay." Velle said, as he then held the fishing rod, and looked at it's unique design.

"Have you ever fish before?" Noctis asked.

Velle took a good look at it, hoping it could trigger a memory, but nothing came up. He shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so. I guess you'll have to show me the ropes."

Noctis walked to his side and pointed out what worked and how it worked. The reel, putting a line, and the trigger you pull to cast the line. After the explanation was all said and done, Velle held it to his side, and he swung it forward, watching as the lure splashed into the water.

"Now, we wait. If you feel a tug, get ready to hook it." Noctis explained.

Velle nodded and patiently waited for something to go towards the lure. With a bit of time, nothing happened, so Noctis told him that sometimes, you reel it to catch it's attention. He did so, every few seconds.

"I think I can see one coming to it." Velle said.

Noctis eagerly waited to see what he was going to get, but keeping a calm look on him.

Velle then felt a tug on the fishing line, and he adjusted his feet, ready. He then felt a strong pull, that made him stumble forward, and Noctis caught him, helping him up.

"Whoa! This thing's huge!" Velle said, as he then pulled on the line.

"Don't pull! Turn the rod to the fish and reel it!" Noctis warned.

Velle heard his advice and he did so, as he found it easier on the pole, and better to handle. With altering turns and pulls with the line, he brought the big fish closer and closer. "Alright, get ready to land it!" Noctis adivsed.

Velle then tried a few pulls, but the last one made him fall back, as the fish stopped moving left or right, but turned to his direction. It then jumped out the water, seeing it had red eyes and big sharp teeth, jumping towards him with it's mouth wide open.

Noctis summoned his sword and cut it in half, as the fish then disappeared in a puff of black smoke. "What the?" Noctis said, never seeing a fish like that.

Velle got up, as he looked where it disappeared. "What was that?" He asked, looking at Noctis, thinking he would know.

"I don't know. I've never seen any fish like that before." Noctis said, then looking back at the other fish, seeing they were still where they were. "If there's something like that swimming in the waters, why didn't the fish swim away?"

Velle looked at well, confused as he is. "That is probably not a good sign. We should have some hunters look into it." Velle said, looking at Noctis.

Noctis nodded as well. "Well, as long as we're fine, I'd say it's time to get back to camp and wait for the others."

Velle nodded and walked with him, as he couldn't help but laugh. "Wanna know something funny?"

Noctis looked at him. "The fact that you nearly died?"

"The fact that it was my first fish I've caught, and it was bigger and deadlier than the one you did." Velle said, looking at Noctis with a grin.

"Well, at least mine's edible." Noctis countered.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N

So I updated the last chapter where Velle had a tour mission with Noctis. So you know, check it out if you want.

Chapter 10

"Are you all ready to go?" Iris asked, standing by The Regalia.

"Yup... although there's one problem..." Prompto pointed out. The five looked at each other, realizing a problem. "So... how are we going to fit all six of us?" Prompto asked.

"Don't worry, I came prepared." She said, as she then pulled out a whistle, and blew it. Hearing footsteps coming closer, certainly not human, they looked to the left to see a chocobo coming their way, coloured a bright pink. "My own chocobo. Pretty cool, right?"

"We're going to leave you alone on a chocobo and follow us the whole way." Gladiolus pointed out, crossing his arms.

"Well, somebody has to come with me." She said, eyeing Velle for a second.

The others then looked at Velle, and he looked at them, seeing they were all looking at him. "Uhh... okay, I guess I'll tag along with her." He said, walking to her chocobo.

"What a gentlemen." Iris teased, looking at the others. "Don't worry, considering he protected not only me, but two other people from a behemoth, I'd say I'm in good hands."

Velle looked at the others and threw a thumb up.

"You know the consequences if you don't protect her, Velle." Prompto warned. "You'll have Gladio's unbridled vengeance." He pointed out, with a sarcastic dramatic tone of voice.

"And the guilt." Velle pointed out. "So, two things that'll kill me if I screw it up."

"Then refrain from the idea of failure, and focus on success." Ignis stated.

"You guys make it sound like we're on a suicide mission. It's only a ride to Cape Caem, we'll be fine." Iris said, looking at the five.

She was right. There wasn't a lot to worry about. Especially since they were riding on a chocobo. Those things are fast, so evading monsters is going to be easy, and with Velle, if trouble was what they had, he could handle it.

"Yeah, good point. Alright, we'll have certain points where we'll meet up. We'll see each other at old Lestalum. You two go off road." Gladiolus instructed.

"That was the plan anyway." Velle said, as he then got on the chocobo.

The other four then waved at them and got in the Regalia and drove off. Iris then jumped on the chocobo, and wrapped her arms around his waist, to hang on. "Come on, let's get to it."

Velle blushed a bit, looking down slightly, but he smiled in the end, looking back at Iris. "Yeah." He then kicked the sides of the chocobo, making it run, and go over the railing of the roads, going on the off road terrain, where grass, trees and rocks were all over, and the power pylons that lead to Lestalum, that send power to it.

Velle looked at Iris, seeing she was taking in the sights, and letting the wind flow with her hair. He then looked back to where he was going. He then went past another road, seeing the car in the distance, since the road has a long way before it would go to the direction they were going.

Iris watched as they came across them, and she laughed, turning head back to the front. "Chocobos are so environmentally friendly, and you can ride them off road. Maybe this should be my permanent mode of transportation." Iris said.

"Well, maybe you should consider on which costs more. Gas for a car, or greens for them." Velle pointed out.

"Or, think of it this way. Which would cost more? A car, or raising a Chocobo yourself?" Iris countered.

Thinking about it that way, it made sense. She certainly was smart. It was admirable. "Well, raising a chocobo can't be easy."

"With a brother like mine, it should be." Iris pointed out, smiling.

"You actually want to have your own chocobo?" Velle asked.

"Yeah. One, they are absolutely adorable. Two, it would make a great pet. And Three, feed them the right greens, and they're faster than any vehicle." Iris explained, seeing she was almost set for everything. Velle was surprised. He could only imagine what goes on in that head of hers.

"You know, you should pick up on using a weapon. Like a spear or something." Velle suggested.

"I don't know, there just hasn't been something I've wanted to pick up on in terms of weapons. I want to try swords or rapiers, but I never have anybody to practice it with. But spears does sound like a good idea." Iris said.

"Well, while the four are off to Altissia, maybe I could teach you a thing or two." Velle offered.

"You're not going with them?" Iris asked, leaning her head to the side.

"Gladio and I made an agreement. Sure, you've got Talcott and... what's his name, the dude with the glasses, but he trusts me to stand by your side." Velle explained. "I guess he actually trusts in me to protect you."

Iris looked to the side, pouting. "I get it, he cares, but I can take care of myself." She said, in an annoyed tone of voice.

"It doesn't hurt to have an extra hand around. Look at it this way. I'll be there to protect the others too. Talcott, Cid, Cindy, and the dude with the glasses." Velle said.

Iris thought about it, and she thought he was right. They could use a fighter like him. She nodded, and smiled. "Yeah, you're right."

After some time, they watched as a massive ship flew through the sky, it being a mobile outpost for the Imperials. Velle watched as it flew past them, in awe of this massive thing. "A fortress... looks like we're gonna need to take care of that." Velle said.

"Old Lestalum is where we're stopping, so you can talk to them about it." Iris said. Velle nodded as they then made it to old Lestalum, as they saw the four arrive in The Regalia.

"Did you see the fortress!?" Prompto asked, looking at Velle and Iris.

"The giant air vehicle that flew by, making noises loud than gunfire its self? Nah, didn't see it." Velle said sarcastically.

"All joking aside, we must take care of it immediately. Velle, you're coming with us. Iris will stay here." Ignis instructed.

"Right." Velle said, as he then got in the car. He watched as Iris walked to the motel and went in, seeing she looked at them for a second, Velle seeing she had a disappointed look on her face. He guessed she wanted to be there to, or it might be something else.

Driving off to where the fortress went, Prompto turned to look at Velle. "So, Velle. What did you and Iris talk about? Alone." Prompto teased, with a grin.

"You really sound like you enjoy the idea of me and Iris being a thing." Velle pointed out.

"Well, can you blame my curiosity?" Prompto asked.

Velle scoffed at him, but figured there was no point in not telling him. Plus, he bet his brother would want to hear this. "Well, she did tell me that she wanted to raise her own chocobo. I said that a car would be easier, but she retorted, telling me a chocobo is not as expensive, and would make a great pet. Then there was the talk of wanting to learn on how to use a weapon."

Gladiolus turned to look at him. "And you encourage she learns that?"

"She'll have to eventually." Velle suggested.

Gladiolus looked forward again, remaining silent for a few seconds. "I guess there really is no stopping it. From me or herself, she's gonna learn how to wield a weapon."

"Did she say anything specific?" Noctis asked.

"She wondered about rapiers, or anything sword like, but I thought she'd do good with a lance." Velle answered.

"Hmm. Maybe I should take it up with her when I see her again." Gladiolus said, as then rest of the drive was quiet, making their way to the outpost. They pulled over by the side of the road, to find the drive in to it was blocked, so they had to get in on foot.

"There's a tower over there. We can get to it and figure a plan of getting in." Ignis said, as he pointed to where he could see it. With that in mind, they made their way to it, avoiding any Magitek troopers along the way. There were a few, but Ignis suggested they avoided them, to avoid any sort of alarm raising.

While sneaking past them, they noticed that the magitek troopers all had red auras coming from them. The reason was unknown to them.

They found stairs that led to the watch tower, them going up to find there was more of them. Ignis turned to them. "Noct, take the two upper troopers. We'll take care of the three below."

Noctis nodded and summoned his sword, as he then threw it, warping with it, striking one from behind. The others went for the others, Ignis and Gladiolus going for two that were close to each other, and Velle getting one that was in a small building that was next to it, crushing it's head against the ground.

With all of them gone, they were in the clear. They went to the top of the watch tower, they had a clear view of all of the outpost. But what he was surprised to see what a massive red beam that was coming from some machine that was in the middle of the place. "What the hell is that thing?" Velle asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but those magitek troops we had recently dispatched of had a red aura coming from them. I'd say it's because of that. We need to dispose of it." Ignis explained.

Velle took a look, and he turned his head. "Nighttime like always?" Velle asked, turning his head to him.

Ignis nodded. "Indeed. But this time, you go with Gladiolus and Prompto. You guys will provide a distraction when Noctis and I take care of some before you do so. Getting them all together, we can take them all out in one fell swoop."

Velle nodded, looking at the two for a second, before going back at him. "Alright, nighttime it is." Velle said.

Later...

Coming from the top of the walls, Gladiolus, Prompto and Velle came sliding down, having magitek weapons, using them to slowly descend into it. One by one, they hit the ground, and threw the weapons they used to the side.

"So we'll need to find a good place to start a distraction, any ideas?" Gladiolus asked, looking at them.

Prompto shrugged, but looked up, to see the giant red beam in the sky. "Well, if that isn't a sign of where we should start, I don't know what is." Prompto said.

Velle saw there was another watch tower, and remembered that the spot they wanted to get to was heavily guarded. "If memory serves, there was a turret there. And since you're good at handling firearms," Velle said, looking at Prompto. "You can handle turret fire. Take it, and watch your back. You can take care of any snipers or gunners that get too close."

"Look at this guy, getting all stealth op on us." Prompto commented.

"Well, Ignis isn't around, so somebody's gotta be a good substitute for that." Velle said, smiling a bit.

"So what's the plan, 'General?' Do we split up to cover more ground? Take some out along the way?" Gladiolus asked, teasing a bit the name, General.

Velle thought about it for a bit, and shook his head. "No. We'll stick together. Lower the chances of being spotted before we get to where we need to be." Velle answered.

"Got it. Lead the way, 'General.'" Gladiolus said.

Velle rolled his eyes and moved forward, as the others followed. They came to a section where there were two of troopers, watching a path that was blocked off. It was the way they needed to go, so they had to figure out something. Velle looked at Prompto, and motioned his head, saying that he should take care of it. They could also hear the sound of one of the big magitek robots coming around, the stomps being loud. "Time your shots with the steps." He instructed.

"Got it." Prompto said, as he then leaned to aim with his revolver. With the first step, he fired his shot, getting a direct head shot, and the second step, leading to another head shot. Prompto then put his gun away, smirking a bit, impressed with his shots.

"Nice job." Velle commented, patting his back, as he then moved forward, as Gladiolus did too.

With more sneaking, and occasional moments where they used teamwork, Gladiolus and Velle taking down a group of troopers together, and another time where Prompto used his marksmanship again. Eventually, they made it to their destination, their plan all ready to go. Prompto got on the turret, and Velle and Gladiolus waited for their queue. A few seconds of silence, and the Prompto fired at a spot where there was a pile of barrels, filled with energy, and he shot at it, causing a massive explosion, destroying the machine too, surely catching the attention of everybody in the area.

Gladiolus and Velle then took center stage, catching the attention of anybody that came to their area. "Good luck." Velle said to Gladiolus, revving his greatsaw.

"I don't need luck. I just need you and Prompto to watch my back." Gladiolus commented, as he then held his greatsword, ready to fight.

A swarm of them came running in, Velle and Gladiolus turning to their direction. But then they exploded in lighting, as then Noctis was there, with Ignis by his side. "Perfect timing." Velle said, as then he turned to see them coming in a different direction.

"But of course." Ignis said, summoning his daggers. And with that, they fought the swarm of Magitek troopers that swarmed them. One by one, each trooper was put to the ground, or severed in pieces. Noctis warped left and right, getting any trooper in sight. Ignis, Gladiolus and Velle handled anything on the ground, and Prompto used the turret to handle any of the big ones.

After some time, no more showed up. They were all gone. Velle sheathed his greatsaw. "Phew... that was a battle..." He said, catching his breath.

"Definitely. But let's be glad it's over. Come on, let's not keep Iris waiting." Gladiolus said.

The others then put their weapons away and walked for the exit. Another outpost cleared out.

However, it wasn't over just yet. On the very top of the tower in the base, where the machine's energy was being sent, there stood a woman, with a lance that had an engine in the back. She also had a strange helmet, and white hair, with black chest armour and black pants, a piece of clothing that hung on the left side of her hips. She looked back, to see on the walls of the outpost, there was another, with a rather large sniper rifle, wearing a metal body armour, that hugged her body, while having a mask that hid her face. Her identity was hidden, but the form of her outfit showed she was a woman.

"Ready to see what these guys are made of?" The white haired woman said, her voice being fairly deep.

"Ready when you are." The other one said, her voice being deep too, but not as much, as she aimed her eye right over the scope of the sniper, as she turned it to thermal, heat signatures.

The white haired woman then jumped high up in the air, and then held onto her lance, and the activated the engine, making her go down and an incredible speed.

Noctis heard it coming, and summoned his sword, blocking the incoming blow, and reflected it to launch her back, but she then slammed to him again, looking at him in the eyes. "Hey there, pretty boy." She taunted. Noctis pushed her off, as she then landed on the ground, everybody getting to his side. "Let's see what you can do."

She then flew up again, flying around, for the five to keep a beam on her with the speed she was going.

As they saw her fly around, they saw as magitek engines were flying to their position. More things to deal with.

"We'll handle the magitek engines! Prompto! Help out Noct!" Velle said, thinking a ranged fighter would be useful against somebody who could fly.

"Alright!" Prompto, as he looked in the air, as he then took a bullet and loaded it in his revolver, one he called, "Starshell." He then fired it in the air, as it then made a bright light in the sky, giving Noctis time to see her.

He threw his weapon at her and warped to her side, as he then knocked her down to the ground, making her crash against it, Noctis coming down to strike her while she was down, but she moved out of the way.

Velle, Gladiolus and Ignis focused on the troopers, taking them down one by one, giving Prompto and Noctis time to focus on the woman that attacked them.

Noctis swung at the woman, her blocking it with her lance, and countering with a kick, and another right after, but Noctis avoided it both. Her weapon was then shot out of her hand, from Prompto.

The woman looked at then two, and had a cocky grin. "Not bad, for a prince." She taunted.

One of the barrels were then shot beside them, exploding, almost hitting Prompto and Noctis, as they got back from the blazing heat.

Through the fire, the woman then charged at Noctis, Noctis warping away from her, as she then flew up and high up.

As for the woman on top of the wall, she decided to peak at the others. She aimed her scope at them, and saw Velle, as she then had this confused face for a second. She turned off her thermal, and zoomed in, and she had a shocked look on her face. "Velle?" She whispered to herself.

She then heard something coming up, as she saw daemons crawling up the walls. "Arenea, Daemons are coming to my position, I can't prove cover fire." She said, as she then began to shoot at them.

Arenea, the white haired woman heard what she said, and she looked from below, to see the four. "Right, I guess we're done here." She said, as she then landed on one of the pipes, as she looked at them. "As much as I'd love to stick around, this girl doesn't work overtime. Until next time, pretty boy." She taunted, as she then flew away.

Noctis looked at where she stood, and tilted his head. "Who the hell was she?" He asked.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Coming back from the fortress, picking Iris up from Old Lestalum and driving to Cape Caem, they finally made it, to find out that there was one more thing that needed to be done. The boat they wanted to use needed a component to work. Something called, "Mythril." After learning about that, and Gladiolus leaving for an unexplained reason, Noctis, Ignis, Prompto, Velle and Iris decided to rest there for the day, since it was rather late, having a nice meal, and sharing stories with each other. Like Velle explaining how the others came across each other, and what they have done together. Iris was worried to know he has nearly died twice, but Velle was more than happy to assure that he was okay thanks to them.

With stories that lead to another, they eventually reached to the point they were all tired and wanted to go to bed, going to bed at a very late time. With the amount of bed's they had, Velle had to sleep on the couch that was there. He had his boots off, his feet kicked up and his eyes shut, until Prompto woke him up, shaking him gently.

"Hey, Velle." Prompto whispered.

Velle groaned and opened his eyes. "What?" He asked, in an annoyed tone.

"I can't sleep." Prompto said, as he then sat on one of the chairs next to the couch.

"So what do you want me to do about it?" Velle asked.

"Well, I've been having thoughts that's been bugging me for a while now. And... I feel like I can tell you... plus you're the only one awake right now." Prompto answered.

Of course he was the only one awake, Prompto woke him up. Velle sat up, and looked at Prompto. "What's up?" He asked. His curiosity was peaked at least.

"So... it's about Cindy, you know, the girl with the blonde curly hair and the hat." Prompto said, describing her.

"The one who doesn't mind showing skin? Yeah, I remember her." Velle answered.

Prompto laughed a bit, and then looked down for a second. "Sometimes, I feel like... she doesn't pay attention to me, you know? Like, I'm not even there."

"Ah, girl problems." Velle said, laughing a bit as well. "Well, I'm not one to come to when it's girl issues. But when it comes to Cindy, she's a working kind of girl, so I guess she wanted to help in anyway she could. Sure she didn't pay attention to you, but in the situation she was in, she wanted to focus her attention on Noctis." Velle explained.

"Hmm... I guess you have a point." Prompto said, looking at him.

"So, look at it this way, if you had to choose between spending time with Cindy, or getting the king and his bride together, which would you do?" Velle asked, to make an example to put him in Cindy's shoes.

Prompto looked down a little. "Yeah, she is busy all the time. It just kinda bums me out that she works all the time and never gets a break."

"Maybe when all of this is over, you can go see her or maybe even offer your help every so often." Velle suggested.

Prompto nodded, a smile appearing on his face. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I just kinda wish I could get some quality time with her."

"I would too, but you know, I don't wanna get in your way." Velle said, smiling back.

Prompto then looked at Velle. "Actually, speaking of girls, what about Iris? You dig her?" He asked, making his voice extra quiet, so Gladiolus wouldn't hear him.

Velle blushed a bit, hearing that question. He looked away for a second, really thinking about it. "Honestly... I'm so sure. I mean, she's cute, and I'd date her if she asked, but I'm not sure if she's into me."

"Those eyes of her's couldn't fool me. When she asked if one of us could tag along with her for the right on the chocobo, she totally looked at you first." Prompto pointed out.

Velle thought about it, and he did notice that too. "Well, I was her first choice, but I doubt that she's into me."

"You never know. Like how Cindy could be into me." Prompto said, patting his shoulder.

Prompto was a cheery one, and Velle was happy with that. He was the one that could brighten the day, despite what they've gone through. "Oh, that reminds me." Prompto then got his camera and he scrolled through what he had, to find the one he was looking for. He showed Velle, the screen being a bit bright for the dark his eyes were adjusted to.

And the picture he saw was a picture of when he was on a chocobo with Iris, as Iris was holding onto him, her arms wrapped around his waist, while her head was leaning against his back, her smiling and her eyes closed.

Velle was honestly surprised, seeing this picture. He couldn't help but smile, and looked at Prompto. "If I didn't know any better, I'd call you a stalker for sneaking a picture like this."

"Well, I'm just that good." Prompto said, with a grin.

"You know, when all of this is over, maybe I'll ask her out. Thanks to you, she does seem more appealing now that I think about it." Velle said, holding his head with his hand.

"Appealing?" Prompto asked, not knowing what she meant.

"She's really responsible, and she's smarter than she looks. And... well, she's cute." He could feel his face burn up with the blush rising up.

Prompto began to yawn, as he stretched. "Alright, I'm getting sleepy now. Thanks, Velle. It's nice to see you actually tolerate me." He said, laughing.

"I try." Velle teased, grinning.

"Alright, goodnight." Prompto said, as he returned to his bed.

"Night." Velle said, then leaning his head back, to go to sleep.

The night passed, as Velle woke up to the sight of the beautiful ocean with the morning sun in the sky. He went outside to get a better view, coming across Iris and Noctis handling gardening, pulling out some sort of carrots. He knew about Noctis' disagreements with vegetables, but he guessed he was okay with gardening. "Morning you two." Velle said, to Noctis and Iris.

"Morning." Noctis said, giving him a small wave.

"Good morning, Velle." Iris said.

Velle then walked to the edge of the cliff and looked at the water crashing against the rocks. He felt a bit dizzy, looking at it from that height and the idea of falling in his head. He stepped back, and looked at the ocean in the distance, feeling the cold breeze against him. He then felt another memory come, having a sight similar to this, but he couldn't recall all of it. His surroundings were shady.

His conversation with Prompto then came up, as he thought about what he said to him. He peaked at Iris for a second, and then back to the ocean. He didn't know how to look at the idea of liking Iris. Good, or bad. He had said before all the things he found admirable about Iris, but he just couldn't figure out what it was that made him so against the idea. But something else made him like it. He just couldn't figure out which one it was.

He sighed. "Ugh, annoying." He whispered to himself. He then peaked at Iris again, as turned to the ocean.

After a bit of time, Noctis, Ignis and Prompto left to get the Mythril, as it was just Velle, Iris, Talcott, Cid, and another man that was apart of Noctis' servants.

Velle was with Talcott, as he was at the table.

"So... these are fire dragonscales?" Velle asked, looking at his greatsaw.

"From a Dragon that was named Ifrit, after one of the six. It's believed to be one that could rival him. However, no other reports of it were ever made." Talcott informed.

Velle found his greatsaw to be more interesting than before. Now the big question popped into his head. Where did he get it? "Hey, Talcott, I have a question for ya."

Talcott smiled and nodded. "What is it, Velle?"

Velle blushed for a second, thinking that it was embarrassing to ask, especially to a kid. "Have you ever... um..." He froze for a second. "Have you ever had a crush on a girl?"

Talcott tilted his head. "Hmm... I'm not sure. Grandpa said that I was too young to consider anything like that. Or that I'm not prepared for that."

Velle looked down for a second. "Right... nevermind, it was a dumb question."

"Is there somebody you have a crush on?" Talcott asked.

Velle blushed more, and looked away nervously. "It's... confusing. I'm not really sure what it is."

"Ah, so you can't figure out if you like her or not?" Talcott asked.

He was sharp, this one. But he was glad he didn't point out WHO it was he was confused about. "Yeah, like that."

"Well, you should just spend more time with her. And if she likes you back, she'll surely show some signs. Maybe wanting to take walks with you." Talcott said, giving an example.

"Maybe..." Velle said. He then smiled, and looked at Talcott. "Well, you've certainly given me something to think about. Thanks Talcott."

Talcott had a big smile on his face, as he stood up and walked up to him, giving him a hug. Velle was surprised, and he hugged him back, smiling as well.

Velle then heard a rumbling coming from outside, as he then stood up. He walked to the door, recognizing the noise. It was a magitek engine.

"Is something wrong?" Talcott asked.

"Get in your room. Dangerous people are here." Velle said, looking at him.

Talcott had a worried look, but he nodded and went to his room, remembering their last situation like this.

Velle then grabbed his Greatsaw and went through the door, to see the magitek engine opening up, as he saw that it was one person inside. It was the sniper during the attack of that Arenea lady. They walked down the door and jumped down, holding a big sniper rifle in hand. The person looked at Velle, in silence.

"You even think of walking any closer, you know what comes from me." Velle said, as he revved his Greatsaw, it's loud rev coming from it.

The person then pressed a button that made the magazine of the gun drop to the ground, and then dropped the sniper to the side. The person then put their hands on their helmet, and slid it off, revealing a long faded pink hair, and brown eyes. It was a woman.

Velle had a surprised look on his face, as his head hurt majorly, having a massive memory resurface. Many images came to his head, almost making his head feel like it was splitting in half. He fell down, holding his head.

The woman walked up to him, and then kneeled in front of him, as she lifted his head, looking at him.

"Jade?" Velle asked.

"The one and only." Jade said, a smiling rising on her face. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're even alive. Where were you?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Velle said.

"Well, I work for the Empire... or, used to." Jade answered. "You know that lady that attacked you before? Long white hair, big boobs, kinda pretty. Well, we decided to work on our own. Not under the Empire's orders." Jade explained.

"That doesn't answer my question on where you've been." Velle said, getting up.

"You really don't remember?" Jade asked.

"Remember what?" Velle asked.

Jade sighed and crossed her arms. "So they did wipe it." She said vaguely. "Look, I'll explain another time. Right now, I'm strapped. I just thought I could drop by to let you know that I'm still around." She then handed him a phone. "If you're ever in danger, call us. We handle daemons, so if there's one you can't handle, we can help."

Velle looked at the phone, having a similar design to the ones the others had, but it was grey. He looked at Jade and nodded. "Thanks Jade... I'm glad you're still okay."

Jade nodded. "Same to you." She said, as she then walked back onto the ship. She then waved, but then ran back and picked up her sniper and magazine, and ran back to the ship, as the front closed up, the ship flying away.

"Jade..." He whispered to himself, getting this sting to his chest. "I'm definitely forgetting something important."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N

This chapter is short, but the action will happen next chapter. A lot more. I promise.

Chapter 12

Coming back with the Mythril needed, the Noctis, Ignis and Prompto came back. And to Velle and Iris' surprise, Gladiolus was with them. Gladiolus mentioned before that he had something he needed to do, so it seems it's all done now.

Velle and Iris went to see them when they arrived, watching them park the car and step out.

"Glady!" Iris said, giving her big brother a hug.

Gladiolus looked at Iris, smiling. "Somebody missed their big brother." Gladiolus said, then looked at Velle.

Velle was smiling too, until he saw another scar was on his face. Right in the middle of his forehead. "Whoa, how did you get that?" Velle asked.

Gladiolus laughed a little. "This?" He said, pointing at it. "I'll explain in a minute. Let's go inside. We could use a good meal." Gladiolus said.

Iris nodded. "I'll get it prepared. It'll be something you all like." She said, before turning around and heading to the house.

Velle couldn't help but smile, seeing how happy Iris was. He then felt a poke on the shoulder, as he looked back to see Noctis. "So, did anything happen while we were gone?"

Velle looked to the side for a second. "Well, remember that white haired chick? Arenea? Well, her partner, Jade. She just showed up. Turns out, it's somebody I know."

"Did it bring back any of your memory?" Ignis asked.

"Yeah. There's definitely something big I'm forgetting. I'll probably remember it sooner or later." Velle said, looking at them.

"We know we can trust her, considering Arenea said she plans to leave the Empire. Perhaps it'll be another that'll leave us be." Ignis said, bringing his glasses up.

Velle pulled out the phone he got from Jade, showing it. "She also gave me this. If we need help, we can call them."

They all looked the phone Velle held in his hand, seeing the Empire's symbol on the back. They all looked at him. "Yeah, that's another thing we need to talk about." Gladiolus said.

"We'll explain when we're inside." Noctis proposed.

Velle nodded. "Okay." He was a bit worried when they said it the way they did. It must have been important, so he had to listen well when they would tell him what's going on. He also figured that Gladiolus' story was off the table.

They made their way to the house, seeing Iris already preparing a meal for them. The five sat down, Noctis getting greeted by Talcott.

"So, we have to tell you something, and we really hope you can understand." Ignis said, looking at Velle.

"I'm listening." Velle said, waiting for what it was.

"We need you to stay here and watch over Iris and the others. As much as we'd want you to tag along with us, but they would definitely need somebody to protect them, if the threat is strong." Gladiolus explained.

Velle nodded. "Alright, I understand." He answered shortly.

"Huh, I was kinda expecting some sort of argument on why you should tag along." Noctis said in honesty.

"Nah, I can see why you want me here, and I agree. So no arguments from me. This is where I stay, and I'm okay with it." Velle said, showing he was completely fine with staying here.

Noctis smiled. "Alright. Although it's a shame not having you with us." Noctis admitted. "You won't have to do all the fighting for me." He said, jokingly.

"Well, of course I have to, because I'm better than you." Velle countered.

Prompto began to laugh, as did Gladiolus, and Ignis was a slight chuckle.

Iris watched from the kitchen, and she smiled, even though there seemed to be some sadness to it. She then looked back at the water that was starting to boil, the smile disappearing immediately.

They had spaghetti and meatballs for their meal, all of them talking to each other, having laughs, more than usual. Velle was definitely going to enjoy this meal, because it just might be their last one together. At least for a long time.

After the meal, they went to the lighthouse in Cape Caem, Iris, Talcott and Velle joining to give their goodbyes, along with Cid, The Marshal, a woman named Monika, and others.

Velle and Iris came down to hear Cid giving some sort of speech to the boys. Velle stopped Iris and Talcott for a second, to let him finish.

"You're are more than just friends. You're brothers in arms. You boys would be nothing without each other. And with where you boys are heading, you need each other more than ever." Cid said, looking at them.

The four looked at each other, as he said what he did. It seemed his words reached to them. "Not to break this heart warming moment up, but we need to get going." Noctis said.

"Indeed. However, your words have reached us, Cid." Ignis said, hoping to show that his speech was heard.

"Wait. Before we go-" Iris spoke up, walking down. "Can we have one last picture? All of us together?" Iris proposed.

Prompto looked at his camera, and the others.

"You act as if we'll never see each other again." Noctis pointed out.

"Gee, Iris, that's a great idea. A memory with all of us together." Velle said, but in a tone that showed he was imitating him, saying what he could have said.

Prompto couldn't help but laugh, even if it was a small one.

"Alright, smart-ass." Noctis said, crossing his arms. Velle gave a cocky smirk.

"Okay, everybody together!" Iris said, standing in the middle, as everybody then got together. Noctis, Ignis and Gladiolus sat in the front, and Prompto set a timer for the camera. He then joined the three, in the front. Velle stood behind them, with Iris by his side.

The camera clicked, the memory being saved.

The four then went into the boat, as it started to set sail. Iris and Talcott ran to the edge, waving to them. "Noctis! Be sure to come back! We need our king!" Talcott shouted, with his hands around his mouth.

Noctis waved. "I will!"

Velle watched as they sailed away, as he walked behind the two. He then placed his hand on both of their shoulders, looking at them. "They'll be back. And everything will be the way it should be."

Iris looked at Velle, and nodded, rubbing her eyes, showing she was crying a little.

Velle rubbed her shoulder. "Don't worry, they'll be back. Noctis will be married, and Gladiolus will be back. I'm sure he'll come to visit you first."

Iris nodded again. "I know... I'm just gonna miss them."

"Hey, as long as we have Velle with us, and everybody else, we'll be okay." Talcott spoke up, smiling.

It felt nice to hear Talcott, or anybody say that, saying they could rely on him for protection. He smiled, and kneeled in front of Talcott. "Yeah, I'll make sure no daemon or Imperial lays a finger on you guys." He vowed.

Hearing Velle say that, it gave her this sense of hope. She smiled, and kneeled with them.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

It has been three days since the four boys were gone, Velle actually starting to help Iris with weapon training. It took him a day to get her a weapon that she wanted to try. She wanted to try out spears, and he got her one. He found it in one of the fortresses that they took over before.

Iris was swinging it left and right, and thrusting her weapon forward, practising her attacks.

Iris tried to spin the spear around, but her grip on the sprear slipped, falling to the ground. She picked it back up, and looked at Velle. "Did I do good?" She asked.

Velle shrugged. "Sure." He said.

Iris sighed. "Not helpful." She then looked at the spear, looking at the design of it, finding it interesting, yet confusing on why it made it so complex. "Maybe I should try daggers. They're smaller and easy to use."

Velle crossed his arms. "Hmm..."

Iris turned to look at Velle, tilting her head. "Something on your mind?"

"I think I might know somebody who could teach you how to fight with a spear." Velle said, smiling.

"Jade?" She asked.

Velle shook his head. "No, it's somebody who left the Empire. She uses a spear that can help her fly all around the air. But you know, she'll teach you how to swing it around or use it effectively." Velle answered.

"You really think we can trust her?" Iris asked, really unsure about his idea.

Velle nodded. "If we couldn't trust her, I doubt Jade would have come to me on her own. She told me herself that they were leaving the Empire to be daemon hunters. I have her cell, so I can have her come here right now."

Iris looked at the spear again, gripping the handle.

"You want to learn how to fight, don't you?" Velle asked, reminding her of what she wanted.

Iris looked at Velle, with a determined look in her eyes. "Call her."

Velle nodded and then took the phone out, pressing the screen several times, until he put it to his ear, knowing how this thing worked. "Yeah, it's Velle. Listen, I've got a request, if she'll accept it."

There was a pause for a second. "Yeah, for Arenea. You see, we have somebody that wants to fight with a spear, and I was hoping that she could teach her the ropes at the very least."

Iris was feeling nervous that the answer was going to be no. "Okay. If that's what it takes so be it." Another pause. "Sounds good. Take your time. Okay, thank you." Velle said, then hanging up. He turned his head to Iris, and smiled. "We got you a tutor." Velle said, smiling.

Iris pumped her fist. "Yes!" She cheered, with a smile on her face. "Thank you Velle! Thank you!"

"Don't thank me. Thank Arenea when she starts training you." Velle said, placing a hand on his hip.

"Well, it's thanks to you that I'm even getting somebody to train with in the first place." Iris said. "So, when you said, if that's what it takes so be it, what did you mean by that?"

"I just had to take over for Arenea while she trained you. So, I won't be around while you train with her." Velle answered.

"Oh..." Iris said, having this tone of disappointment.

"It doesn't really matter if I'm there, does it?" Velle asked.

Iris shook her head. "No, I just thought it would be nice to have you around."

"Oh. Well..." Velle felt flattered, hearing she wanted him around, but he had to take over for Arenea. "Sorry, but we came to a deal."

"Okay, I understand." Iris said. "Well, maybe you can see me when I'm better with it. Then we can fight together!" Iris realized, in a tone of excitement.

Velle actually liked the idea, of having his own partner. He smiled, and ruffled her hair, to tease her. "Maybe someday."

Iris pushed his hand away, blushing. "Don't do that."

Time passed, it coming to noon, watching as the red Magitek engine came down, knowing it was Arenea and Jade in there. The platform came down, the two familiar females, to Velle, walking down to the ground.

Iris looked at the two, seeing that they were mature, and way taller than her. She blushed a bit, feeling a little intimidated.

Arenea looked at Iris, having a cocky smile on her face. "So, I'm training a kid?" She asked.

Iris was about to talk back but was interrupted by Velle. "Call her what you want, looks can be deceiving." Velle said, with a smile.

"Than I expect a surprise." Arenea said, then walking to Iris. "Arenea. I'm your teacher. You'll refer to me as Miss Arenea."

"Umm, okay-" Iris said.

"I was being sarcastic." Arenea pointed out.

"Oh... well, I'm Iris. A please to meet you." Iris said.

Arenea turned to look at Velle and Jade. "She'll take a while, but I can handle her. You two go ahead with our deal." Arenea said, placing a hand on her hip.

Velle and Jade nodded, then turning to go on the ship. "Good luck, Iris." Velle called out.

"Hey, Velle. Where's the prince?" Arenea asked, not seeing them anywhere.

Velle stopped again. "He's on his way to Altissa, to finally see Lunafreya." Velle answered, how he understood it.

"I see. So he's going to be a king. Congrats." She said. "Alright, you guys can go now." She said, turning around to Iris. "You and I, have a long training ahead of us."

Iris nodded, gripping her spear. "I'm ready."

Jade grabbed Velle by the arm and pulled him in the magitek engine, the platform closing up. The inside had light, showing there were seats, but not many. Jade turned to him. "Alright, so we mostly work at night, because that's when daemons come out. But we've got a job for the day. A monster called a Bandersnatch is causing trouble near Hammerhead, so we're heading there."

"Bandersnatch, huh? Sounds dangerous." Velle said.

"If it wasn't dangerous, we wouldn't be bothering with it." Jade pointed out.

"Good point." Velle said, crossing his arms. "So, about Arenea training Iris-"

"Don't worry, she's in good hands." Jade said, with a smile. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you like this Iris chick."

Velle sighed and sat down. "Great, somebody else who's gonna bother me with that."

"You get teased a lot?" Jade asked, sitting next to him.

"Well, not really. It's more of..." Velle scratched his head. "Uhh... I guess it's one that was encouraging, while the other was against it."

"He wasn't really against it. Gladiolus was just informing you on who she liked." Jade clarified.

Velle looked at Jade, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, how do you know that?" Velle asked.

Jade looked away, remaining silent. Velle kept looking at her, waiting for an answer. Jade looked at him for a second, and looked away again. "Hiding something?"

Jade shook her head. "N-no." She said, hiding her face.

"The stutter says otherwise." Velle said.

Jade sighed. "Just like old times..." She whispered to herself. "I may... or may not have been spying on you before the guys left." She admitted.

Velle laughed, crossing his arms. "Yeah, same old Jade."

"So... you do remember?" Jade asked.

"Sort of. It's coming back to me." Velle answered, remembering a bit of their relationship in the past.

Jade smiled, and then looked to her hands. "Good." She then closed her eyes. "It would be nice to talk like old times..." She whispered to herself.

They both then felt the ship stop. "We're here." Jade said, getting up, and grabbing her sniper rifle, Velle following along. The ship got close to the ground, and let out the platform. Jade jumped down, and landed on the ground, Velle watching as her light pink hair came down as she landed.

Velle jumped down as well, landing right next to her. "Be careful down there!" The pilot called out, as he flew away.

"Is he not our ride?" Velle asked, wondering how they were getting back.

"He flies back to base to avoid him getting attacked by our target." Jade explained.

Velle nodded, Jade then crouching, to get closer to their target, Velle doing the same.

And there it was, their target, The Bandersnatch. It had a dark red body, with a massive mouth, the lower jaw being way bigger, and having two massive fangs. It's body had small arms, and big legs, with a tail.

"Whoa... this thing looks awesome." Velle said, in a quiet tone.

"It does look cool, but it's dangerous." Jade said, then aimed her sniper. "You take it up close, I'll shoot from here." Jade said, telling the plan.

Velle placed a hand on his greatsaw. "You got it."

The Bandersnatch lifted it's head, looking around. Jade placed her finger on the trigger. "Get ready..." She whispered. She then pulled it, getting a direct head shot, Velle then jumped down, and ran at the Bandersnatch.

The Bandersnatch roared and turned to Velle, grinding it's feet against the ground. Velle revved his greatsaw, and ran it against the ground. The Bandersnatch ran at him, as it brought it's head up and brought it down to crush him, but Velle swung his saw up, knocking it's head up.

Jade fired another bullet, getting another head shot, pulling the bolt back and forth. Velle swung his saw to the side, damaging the head, knocking The Bandersnatch back. The Bandersnatch roared at him, and ran again.

Velle was about rev his saw again, but it stopped, as he then looked at it, trying to rev it again. "Crap." He said in an annoyed tone, then getting rammed by the Bandersnatch, Velle tumbling back, letting go of his greatsaw.

The Bandersnatch ran at him, with it's mouth wide open. Jade fired a shot in it's mouth, but it kept running to him. "Velle!" She called out, thinking the name shot would do little.

The Bandersnatch went to scoop him into it's mouth, but Velle jumped up and grew massive dark arms, and bragged it by the fangs, and lifted it up and slammed it to the ground.

Jade looked at him, with a concerned look. "So they really did to it." She whispered to herself.

Velle then slammed it on the ground again, then turned his left darkened arm into a hammer, and crushed his head into the ground and one last hit. The Bandersnatch stayed on the ground, barely moving. It was breathing, steam coming out of it's mouth. Velle looked at it, and sunk a darkened blade through it's head, from his right arm.

Jade stood up and ran to him. "Velle!" She called out, seeing the darkness coming out of his arms.

Velle turned to look at Jade, his eyes emitting smoke. He then looked at his hands. "Do you know what this is?" He asked.

Jade looked down for a few seconds, and then nodded. "You're half-daemon. The very first." She answered. She then dropped the sniper rifle, and then hugged him tightly. "It's my fault. I gave you up to them. I'm sorry." She said, her tone showing fear and sadness.

Velle looked at her, then remembering how it all went down. The rain, the bright lights, the numbing feeling of all those wires across his body... everything. Velle could feel this growing feeling on his arms and watched as his arms began to grow more darkness, as he pushed her away. "Jade... I can't stop it!" He said, in a worried tone.

Jade watched as it happened, starting to get worried. "Velle, just calm down. Don't think about what happened! It'll just make it worse." Jade explained, bringing her hands closer.

Velle closed his eyes, and breathed slowly, trying to think of other things, but his mind was so stuck on that memory. Velle was placing his hands on his head, but it left a burn on where he put them, leaving a darkened burn on his cheeks, groaning in pain.

"Velle! Think of good things!" Jade shouted, as a last resort.

Velle tried, remembering anything that made him happy. He then thought about the good times with the others. Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus, Prompto, Jared, Iris, everybody. The darkness began to fade away, then Velle fell down, on his hands and dirt.

Jade sighed in relief, and then kneeled in front of him. "Are you okay?" She asked, in a worried tone.

Velle looked down for a second, and then looked at Jade, his eyes being normal, and still had the burns on his cheeks. "I need to lie down... I feel sick..." Velle said.

Jade picked him up, and carried him with an arm around her. "Lucky we're near Hammerhead." She said, taking him to Hammerhead. "It's worse than I thought..."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"And with the nights lasting longer, we'll need all the help we can get around these parts." Cindy said, talking to Jade.

"Yeah, daemons have been more aggressive too, along with news ones coming out. I just hope his highness returns soon. We could really use his help." Jade said, in a worried tone.

Cindy had a worried expression on her face. "I have faith in the hunters, but I feel like it's only a matter of time until we're outmatched."

Jade looked where Velle was, inside the rentable RV. She looked at the ground for a second, then back at Cindy. "With Velle, and my band of mercenaries, we can hold them off for a while. I just hope long enough until his highness returns."

"I believe in y'all. You all have skill and determination." Cindy said, to support her.

Jade was used to Arenea's sarcasm, the support felt different. She looked at Cindy and smiled. "Yeah. Plus, we got Cor the immortal. With him and everybody I mentioned, we can last for a long time."

Cindy smiled. "That's what I like to hear. Anyway, back to work for me. You should check on your friend." Cindy suggested, then walking off to her garage.

Jade turned around, and went to the RV, seeing Velle sleeping in the bed, having one hand on his cheek, and his legs crossed. She sat in front of him, as she placed her hand on his forehead, it being a bit cold. She sighed. "I'm really sorry, Velle." She whispered.

On Iris' and Arenea's side, Iris was staring at a monster that was near Cape Caem, seeing it was near the water, it being some sort of giant lobster looking creature.

"Watch and learn shortie." Arenea said, as she then put her helmet down, and held her polearm up.

Iris held her spear and nodded, ready to fight. She was still in her normal shirt hoodie and skirt, but she was going to get something new when she was ready to fight daemons.

Arenea then jumped high up in the air, Iris seeing her fly so high up. Arenea then latched onto her polearm, and dove straight down onto he monster, piercing right through it's back. She then jumped back and stood in her fighting stance. "Alright, Iris, let's see what you've got."

Iris ran in, standing by her side.

The creature snapped it's pincers to them, threatening them. It then charged at them. Arenea jumped up in the air, and Iris dodged to the side. Swinging her spear, cutting into the side of the monster. The monster then spun around, Iris crouching to avoid getting hit by the tail.

Iris then stabbed it in the face, and jumped back, avoiding the pincers. Arenea stabbed through the left pincer, after jumping high up again, pinning it down. "Now, go for the head!"

Iris then ran at it and sunk her spear into it's head, as the creature fell limp. Iris then pulled the spear out, as she looked at her spear having a strange blue blood on it. She then turned to Arenea. "How did I do?"

"I wasn't really going to give you a grade, but I'd say you did pretty well. You listened to me and dodged anything it threw at you." Arenea said. "You've got potential. All you need is experience."

Iris nodded. "Thank you, for taking time to train me."

"Don't thank me yet. We aren't at the hard parts of training." Arenea said. "Now we'll see how you handle yourself on your own." She said, then motioning her head, to tell her to follow.

Iris followed her by her side, still holding onto the spear with two hands. Arenea saw her hold it the way she did. "That spear isn't going anywhere."

"Sorry. I'm just nervous. I've noticed the nights have been growing longer. And the daemons... they're growing stronger." Iris said. She remembered Talcott telling her that.

"Than we're gonna have to kick things up a notch with the training if you're gonna keep up with them." Arenea said. "I doubt his highness will come back, at least in a while. So while he's gone, you and Velle will have to replace them for now."

Iris looked at the spear, and nodded. "If that's what I have to do to keep everybody safe, than so be it."

"That's the spirit." Arenea said, then pulling out a phone and pressing a button on it, calling her magitek engine to her location. They waited at Cape Caem, Iris telling everybody why she was going to be gone for a while. They all understood, and she promised to come back as soon as she could. The magitek engine showed up, Iris walking in with Arenea, a bit nervous to see the inside of the ship.

Arenea sat down and sighed. "Don't get comfy, we're gonna get there really soon."

"Okay." Iris said.

"Sooner or later, you'll have to ditch that outfit. You'll need something that protects your skin, not show it." Arenea said, placing one leg over the other.

Iris blushed a bit, from her comment. "I know, I'm just not sure where I can get some."

"The hunters could probably make you something special." Arenea suggested. "Just don't make it a skirt."

"I know." Iris said, in a slight annoyed tone. "I get it, I have to be strong, you don't have to remind me."

Arenea raised an eyebrow, smirking a bit from her backtalk. "Talking back to your teacher?"

"I'm sorry. It's just with everything going on, I'm having a hard time dealing with it. I don't want to just be a bystander like I was with Noctis." Iris said, looking down, her grip on her spear growing stronger.

"So you're doing this because you want to prove something?" Arenea asked.

"No, I'm just tired of being that person that sits still and does nothing. I want to help on the battlefield, not in the house, cooking for them when they get back." Iris explained.

"Aaaaaah." Arenea said, understanding what she was trying to say. "If that's the case, then I'll make sure you're as sharp as your spear."

"What do you mean?" Iris asked, turning her head to Arenea.

"When his highness returns, he won't even recognize you. You'll be out there slaying everything they have. You'll be, Iris, The Daemon Slayer." Arenea explained, although the name was more of a joke.

Iris looked at her spear again, imagining what it would be like. It thought scared her, her thinking that she would be swarmed by the daemons by the second, but if she could be like Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignis, Prompto and Velle, she could take on any. "Then I'll do my best to become that, if it means keeping people safe."

Arenea couldn't help but admire Iris. Despite her height and physique, she was still so determined to help people in the field, rather than how she explained it. She smiled and pat her head, like she was some pet. "Then I guess we'll see each other out in the fields then."

The way Arenea said that, Iris smiled, and felt encouraged to really try her hardest. She nodded, with a determined look on her face. The magitek engine stopped, them feeling the stopping motion. "We've arrived. Landing now." The pilot called out.

Arenea stood up and stood where the exit to the engine would be, Iris doing the same. The back would open up, the platform sliding out. Arenea and Iris would find themselves near The Rock of Ravatogh, both walking out.

The Magitek engine then flew off. Arenea saw a group of scorpions, all of them walking slowly around. "There's your mark. Go get 'em."

Iris was hoping for advice, but she knew what these things were capable of. Poison and the sort. She nodded to her and then ran at the scorpions, then snuck up to one, piercing through it's back. The other scorpions then turned to her, as one ran to her and jumped, and jabbed it's stinger towards her, Iris moving to the side and slashing it's side, killing it.

She then turned to the other two, standing in a stance that had her pointing her spear to them. "I got this." She whispered to herself. Just then, a wyvern came in, flying towards Iris. Arenea saw it coming last second. "Iris! Behind you!" She shouted, then jumping towards the wyvern. Iris turned to look at it, and threw her spear at it, going right through the wyvern. The wyvern's body slammed against Iris.

Arenea pushed the body off of her, picking her up. "You okay?"

Iris nodded, getting up, and looking at the wyvern, the wyvern then got back up and roared at them, it's body then changing into a darker colour, it somehow being still alive, with the spear still in it's body.

"What? How?" Iris was at a loss of words of what she was seeing.

"I never saw something like this before. You think you can take it?" Arenea said, holding onto her spear.

Iris nodded. "I just need to grab my spear." Iris said.

"Leave it to me." Arenea said, then jumping forward, having her spear send her forward, knocking the wyvern down. Iris ran to grab her spear, grabbing it by the handle, and pulled as hard as she could. But it wasn't enough. She jumped back to avoid getting clawed at by the wyvern.

The wyvern swung it's tail at Arenea, Arenea jumping over it and cutting it across the body. She then jumped back from a claw lung, boosted to him, cutting a part of it's wing.

Iris had an idea of how to get her spear back. "Arenea, ram him again! I'm gonna grab my spear!"

Arenea nodded and drew it's attention. She saw Iris get behind it and spun the wyvern around by kicking the spear. Iris grabbed the spear, and Arenea rammed the head of the wyvern, Iris then pulling as hard as she could, pulling the spear out. Arenea and Iris raised their spears and slashed it, making an X, the wyvern falling to the ground, dead.

Iris breathed heavily for a second, before she caught her breath. "That one was different."

"Whatever happened, this needs to be told." Arenea said, looking at Iris. "But I gotta say, you did pretty well. I think you've got a future in daemon slaying ahead of you."

"As much as I appreciate that, but we need to tell people about this immediately." Iris warned.

Arenea nodded. "Alright. Hang on, help's coming." She said, pulling out her phone.


	15. Chapter 15

I know I say this a lot, but reviews are always appreciated.

Chapter 15

Three weeks passed, and Iris was trained by Arenea, learned many of Arenea's tips and tricks. She wasn't there just yet, but Iris was almost ready to fight off daemons. Or at least in a group. She got handy with a spear, but she was lacking in experience.

As for Velle, his daemon-like powers were more frequent. And control was something he couldn't do with it. It was always he was in a pinch, or when he was injured. Without warning, without any feeling of it, it would take over. Not that he could complain, it always saved him when he needed it. During those weeks, it was something he realized, it would always come out when he needed help. Maybe it was on his side? Or it simply didn't want their host dying.

It was night time, and Iris was with Arenea and a crowd of hunters, Iris now wearing a different outfit for hunting. She wore something that was similar to the hunters, black everything. Leather pants, her same boots, a leather coat, and leather gloves. Iris wanted to wear something more protective, but she felt like she wasn't ready for any sort of armour just yet.

Iris, Arenea and the crowd of hunters were all together, by an old mine, told to go in there and fetch any generators that still worked. With the nights growing longer, they were going to need more lights to ward off the daemons.

They all went in the old mine, finding an old elevator. Arenea raised an eyebrow, taking a closer look at the elevator. "Looks like it still works."

"I ain't risking it." A brown haired male hunter said.

"Well, you can always wander back to HQ on your own." Arenea said, looking back at the male hunter.

The male hunter sighed. "Fine. I guess it's better than dying to a daemon."

"You make it sound like we're on a suicide mission." Arenea said, as she walked in the elevator, along side the male hunter and. Iris and the other two hunters walked in as well, standing in front of the two.

"Are you nervous?" Iris asked, wanting to bring the conversation to a positive stand-point.

The male hunter sighed, crossing his arms. "Well, this is only the third mission I've ever been in." He admitted. "And the idea of the elevator breaking and falling all the way to the bottom, crushing us inside doesn't appeal to me."

"Well, if it weren't operational, don't you think they'd leave a warning? Sure, it's an old mine, but don't you think there'd be a sign that says, "Elevator out of order, use the stairs?"

The male hunter thought about it. "I guess you're right... just don't leave me behind."

Another male hunter stood by his side, having blonde hair, patting his shoulder. "We're hunters. We stick together."

The brown haired hunter let out a gentle sigh. "At least there's that."

"Look, be glad we're not here to fight off a giant ass daemon. Even then, I doubt there's any that are dangerous here. They couldn't fit in these caves." Arenea said, turning her head to them. "We're grabbing any generators that work, and we get out of here. Plain and simple."

"So that's why you two are here?" The red haired male hunter said, it being the third hunter.

"Yup, to protect you guys. Kinda pathetic to get us to protect hunters if you ask me." Arenea said.

Iris looked at Arenea. "Arenea, stop." She said, speaking up. "The last thing we need is to be fighting right now."

Arenea chuckled. "Aye, aye, captain." She said sarcastically, then pressing the button to make the elevator go down. Loud clunks of metal could be heard, as then they would begin their descent down the three floors of this mine.

"So we're gonna start from here, and work our way up?" The blonde hunter asked.

"Better idea. We'll place generators next to the elevator. We'll start down here, and place them next to it. We'll try to not place too many to risk breaking the elevator." Iris said.

Everybody nodded. "I like that idea." The Red haired hunter said.

"Then let's get to work. Iris, you work with the other two. We'll split up to cover more ground." Arenea said, having the brown haired hunter follow her.

Iris thought it was a bad idea to split up, but she knew Arenea could handle herself. And with Iris having two hunter with her, she thought she could handle herself as well. Iris took the lead of the hunters, looking at her surrounding, checking for any hidden daemons. So far, they were clear of them.

"Hey, over here." The red haired hunter said, kneeling in front of a long cord. He lifted it off the ground. "This might lead to a generator."

"Let's see where it leads us. Keep your eyes open." Iris said, as she followed the cord, holding her spear close, checking every spot she would think a daemon would come from.

Arenea and the brown haired hunter were wandering on their side of the path they took, finding a stairway. From where they stood, there was no other way to go. The brown haired hunter pulled out a walky-talky. "We found a stairway. We're heading to the second floor to look for generators."

"Understood. Be careful." The voice through the walky-talky said.

They both went up the stairs, Arenea going first.

The brown haired hunter looked at the back of Arenea. "So, you seeing anybody?"

"Don't even start." Arenea said, in an annoyed tone.

"Got it." He said, taking no for an answer.

Back with Iris, they came across a big open part of the mines, that seemed to be where it stopped. There were lights all over, however unlit. Iris then saw at the bottom, there were some daemons. They had scrawny bodies and long noses, with a moon-like object on their backs. She looked at the other two hunters. "You guys think we can take 'em?"

The red haired hunter nodded, then pulling out two daggers. The blonde pulled a dagger and a handgun out. "Yeah." The blonde said.

Iris then looked to see how many there were, counting 6. Iris held her spear, aiming it to the daemons, and she jumped from the ledge they were at, and landed on top of one, and slashed at another. The other hunters made their way down properly, but as quick as they could. The blonde fired at the daemons, as he scored a headshot, killing it.

Iris slashed at another, turning into a puff of darkness. She saw one lunge it's claw at her, Iris dodging it and cutting it on the leg, and stabbed through it's back. The hunter with dual daggers jumped from the ledge he stood and landed on a daemon, stabbing it through the head. The last daemon got shot through the head, finishing them all off.

Iris pulled her spear out of the daemon, and looked around, to see all the lights that had cords. "We're gonna need to make trips with the truck." Iris said.

The blonde pulled out his walky-talky. "Get back to the third floor and follow the path we took. You're gonna want to see this." A couple of minutes passed, and Arenea and the brown haired hunter made it to where they were, seeing how many generators there could be. "I don't think we'll be able to get them all in one go." Arenea said, just like what Iris said.

"Making a second trip back here for the other generators would be risky, since it's night time. And resting here wouldn't be a good idea either." Iris added.

"What about your magitek engine? I'm sure they could carry as many as we could find." Iris suggested.

Arenea thought about it. Her ship was the same as the imperial army's magitek engines. If they could carry all those magitek troopers, they could carry a ton of generators. "Yeah, that could work. And we can get the mission done as soon as possible." Arenea said.

"Then let's get collecting." Iris said, as then the hunters started to look for the generators, having the same groups were formed. While they looked for the generators, they came across a few minor daemons, nothing they couldn't handle. The third floor held 6 generators. The second floor held 4, and the first held 7. The generators were all brought up three at a time, to avoid the risk of the elevator breaking from all the weight.

When all of that was done, Arenea called her Magitek Engine back, and brought all the generators in it. With that done, they flew to the hunter's HQ. They checked on the generators, testing if any of them worked. Unfortunately, only 3 worked, when they used fuel. The rest didn't work at all. But they got the mission done, Arenea getting paid, since she was hired for it. Iris didn't accept the gil.

"Not bad, Iris. Keep that up and you'll be able to handle jobs like that on your own." Arenea complimented Iris.

Iris looked at Arenea and smiled. "Thank you. It means a lot." Iris said. She then imagined hunting daemons along side of Noctis and the others, wondering what their reactions would be if they saw her now. "Hey... Arenea?"

"Yeah?" Arenea said.

"What were you like before you were the way you are now? Like, before the armour and the spear?" Iris asked.

Arenea sighed, then ruffled her head. "That's a story for another time, Riding Hood." She said. "Get some rest. With the nights growing longer, you're gonna need it."

Iris was disappointed that she didn't get to know her origins. She really wanted to know what she was like as a kid, or if she had any sort of massive change in her childhood. She went to the RV that was in the hunter HQ, and lied on the bed, putting her spear next to her. "This is probably nothing to what the guys must be going through." She said to herself.

Square Enix... Iris and Arenea DLC. Make it happen. (It might... hopefully)


	16. Chapter 16

So, I decided to do some time skips, to where important parts of Iris and Velle's time happens. I don't want to stretch this out, you know?

Chapter 16

It has been a whole year, and Iris was starting to be nicknamed by others, "Iris the Daemon Slayer." It was picked up after Arenea said it to tease her, but that joke became a reality. Now, Iris was so experienced, she was able to take on bigger Daemons on her own. She was practically a natural. Since it has been a year, Iris' hair grew a little longer, and she grew slightly in height too.

She also got upgrades for her spear. Now she was more fluent with it, the handle got a grip, and the spearhead was made bigger.

In the hunter HQ, the morning sun rose, in the darkened skies. Iris was still in the outfit she had before, the leather pants and the sort. She went to the resting tent, to find Velle using those needles of his again, watching as he pushed the needle into his leg, as he had the moan of relief. Despite that being what kept him alive, she always got worried seeing him use it. She sat next to him, with a worried look. "Does it hurt?" Iris asked.

Velle shook his head. "Not really... but it always has a good feeling on my body when I use it." Velle answered, putting the case that held the needles away. "I just use them because they're what keep me alive."

"I guess I'm just... worried." Iris said. "It would really be bad if something happened to you. I... wouldn't have anybody else to look for if I were lost. If I was alone."

Velle raised an eyebrow. "Iris, is something wrong?" He asked.

Iris looked at Velle, with a worried look on her eyes. "Velle... I might be experienced in daemon hunting... but, I'm only going to survive for so long. The days only last for 8 hours now. And the daemons grow stronger in numbers. I'm..." She sighed, looking down, clenching her fists. "I can't say it..."

Velle held her hand, as Iris looked at him, blushing. "I'm not gonna scold you for anything. Just say it."

Iris looked at her hand that was wrapped around her hand, then looked down. "I'm... scared. Like there's a timer on my life... and it's about to hit zero soon." She then started to cry. "And I don't want to die... I want to see Glady again. I want to see the guys again! I just want everything to be normal again!" Iris then leaned to his chest, actually crying.

Velle looked at her, surprised to see her like this. It was shocking. All the time, he would see her wear that cute smile of hers. And now, she was crying. He gently wrapped his arms around her, hugging her, placing his head on top of her head. "Iris, don't worry. You have me, Jade and Arenea. And for all we know, the guys'll show up the next day. It's... a stretch, but I have faith of their return. As should you."

Iris sniffled, and hugged Velle tighter. "I just want to see them again. One last time..."

"We will Iris. I'll stay by your side, until they come back. I'll keep you safe. I promise." Velle vowed, in a gentle tone, to cheer her and calm her.

Iris looked up to him, looking at his eyes, seeing the turquoise and purple eyes. Her heart began to pound a bit faster, as she then sat up properly, wiping her eyes. "Thanks Velle... that means a lot." She said, then standing up. "Well... we've got work to do. Let's get to it before night falls."

Velle nodded and stood up, standing by her side. "Actually, there's something I figured we could do together. Hunters have said to have spotted some sort of anomaly by the lake near Lestalum. We should see what's up with it."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Iris asked.

"If things go bad to worse, we'll high-tail it." Velle suggested. "Plus... maybe it might lead to some answers about my daemon powers. It's a stretch, but I believe."

Iris thought about it for a second, thinking if it could be risky, but if they were careful, maybe it would be okay. She nodded. "Okay. I'll fetch the truck." Iris said, then walking out.

Velle smiled, and put his hand on his chest, feeling his heart pound quickly. "I wonder she feels the same." He whispered to himself. He grabbed his great-saw and went to where they had trucks, being used by the hunters. Iris was in a black pick-up truck, as she looked at Velle, seeing him hop in the truck.

Iris then drove to where Velle told her about the anomaly that was spotted. During the drive, Iris thought she should start a conversation. "Hey, about that talk we had earlier. I really meant it when I said, that meant a lot. I was... under a lot of stress... the idea of dying really took a lot of sleep out of me."

"Well, cheering you up was the right thing to do. And..." He chuckled. "Your brother kicking my ass is another reason."

Iris giggled. "You know, he wouldn't do that. He might sound like the type, but the only thing that would make him want to beat you up would be if you really hurt me. Physical or emotional. I've never seen Glady do that to anybody. And I'm glad. It shows I've made the right friends."

Velle was happy to know how she felt about the others. Them being her true friends. He smiled. "Glad to hear it. And hey, when they come back, you'll have to remind them who you are, Iris the Daemon Slayer."

Iris laughed. "Yeah, imagine what their reactions would be."

"Noctis would probably not show a lot of shock, considering the way he is." Velle said.

"Ignis would most likely be all properly congratulatory." Iris said as well.

"Congratulations, Miss Iris. You certainly have earned the name, 'Daemon Slayer." Velle said, in a poor imitation of Ignis.

"Yeah! And Prompto would be like, 'Let's take a photo and compare you from then to now." Iris said, making her own impression of Prompto.

Velle laughed. "Yeah, he totally would. And Gladio, he'd probably be like, 'I'm proud of you Sis. You're gonna be like big brother." Velle said, imitating him too, making a deep voice.

"Be like big brother... he would never say that." Iris said. "But he would be proud." Iris added, to clarify.

Velle nodded, as they then made it to the lake, as they could see a small dark orb, floating in the middle of the lake. "There it is." Velle said, pointing to it.

Iris looked at it as well, tilting her head slightly. "What do you think it is?"

Do you like it? I made it myself." A deep voice said behind them, Velle and Iris turning around, to see a male adult with a hat, red hair with a shade of pink to it, wearing a fancy black and white outfit.

Velle recognized him. "Ardyn?" He said.

Ardyn had a smirk on his face, placing his hand on his shaved chin. "The one and only. I'm shocked to see his highness didn't have another of his dogs follow him to Altissa."

"I chose to stay behind. What is that dark orb? And what is it doing?" Velle asked, pointing at it.

"It's purpose will be served when the time is right." Ardyn answered, being vague. "Tell me, what's it like, being away from your friends? Is it heart shattering? Or are you enjoying the time alone?"

Velle scoffed. "What's it matter to you?" Velle then drew his great-saw. "If that orb is your doing, I'm not letting you leave here alive."

Iris pulled her spear out, standing next to Velle.

Ardyn's smirk went to a small smile. "Oh dear, what a shame. And here I thought you and I could have been friends." He then summoned a sword in his hand, showing he was going to fight them.

Velle revved his great-saw and ran at him, swinging towards Ardyn's shoulder, Ardyn then blocked it, with a summoned shield. "What!?" From the design of the shield and the sword he held, he recognized them as royal weapons that Noctis had. "How did you get the royal arms!?"

Ardyn smirked. "What's it matter to you?" He copied Velle, and pushed his great-saw, knocking him to the side.

Iris ran in and went to stab him through the chest, but Ardyn easy blocked that, and parried her spear, Iris stumbling back. "Ah, the King's shield's sister. Still waiting for your beloved to return?"

"Shut it!" Iris yelled, swinging her spear towards his face, Ardyn not even moving, the weapon going right through him. Iris was shocked to see that happen. She started to feel her heart race in fear, thinking that they couldn't hurt him.

Velle ran at Ardyn, with his weapon revving, and swung at him, Ardyn blocking that attack, watching as sparks flew in the air, the saw grinding against the shield. "You dare scratch a royal arm?" Ardyn taunted, as he then pushed his weapon to the side, and swung across Velle's body, leaving a cut across Velle's clothing and deep cut on his chest.

Velle stumbled back, but held his weapon tightly. He then swung again, but Ardyn blocked it again. Iris ran at Ardyn, and slashed him across the face, the spear not even putting a scratch on him, but made darkness come from the cut across his face.

Ardyn at least stumbled back from it, as he then looked at Iris, no scratch on him. "Holding back, are we? Or are you normally this weak?" Ardyn insulted.

Iris had an angered look on her face. "Say what you want, it means nothing to me." She countered.

"I bet it doesn't." Ardyn said, in a tone that showed he didn't believe her. He then threw dark magic at her, at sent her back, Iris feeling a restrain in her body. She could only barely move. "People will only see you as the sibling of the King's shield. Nothing more. You do not have your own name."

Velle came in, swinging his great-saw, as Ardyn simply dodged it and grabbed Velle by the neck. Velle gasped for a second. "You shut your damn mouth! Iris is her own person! She's Iris the daemon slayer!" Velle retorted.

"How sweet of you to say, Velle. Too bad it means nothing to her. No matter what, she's just a former shadow of her dear, older brother." Ardyn said, a devious laugh coming afterwards.

Velle's daemon form was starting to take effect, as he grew a claw arm, and swung at Ardyn's body, actually some effect to him.

Ardyn winced as he felt the claws sink into his body, then Iris coming in to knock him down with a shoulder push.

Velle fell to the ground, as did Ardyn, Velle holding his neck, catching his breath.

Ardyn stood up back. He then smirked, walking to Iris, Iris walking back. "As much as I love our meeting, I have... other things to attend. I'll send your brother your regards. At least what'll be left of him."

Iris screamed at him and threw her spear at him in pure anger, as Ardyn then caught it and spun around, and swung it towards her, cutting upwards across the face.

Iris screamed as she felt the steel of her own weapon cut deep across her face, falling down and holding where it hit.

Ardyn hummed. "A little scratch, and you're a crying child all of the sudden." He said, as he then disappeared.

Velle got up and watched Ardyn disappear, as he then rushed to Iris' side, to look at her. "Iris! Iris!" Velle said, trying to get Iris to calm down. "Iris, let me see the cut!"

Iris stopped for a second, sobs being heard from her. She then slowly removed her hands from her face, to show she got a nasty cut right over her left eye, just like Gladiolus' scar. The cut was bleeding, but it didn't damage her eye. "It's okay, it only hit around the eye, not the eye it's self!"

Iris slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times, to see her eyes were okay. She touched her eye to make sure, seeing blood on her finger tips. "Who was he?"

"Ardyn. I'm not sure what he his, he's the bastard who's been messing with Noctis and the others." Velle explained, at least what he knew.

Iris kept looking at the blood on her fingers. "Do... do you think he's going to kill them?"

"He can try, but I doubt Noctis and the others won't go down without a fight." Velle said, then held her bloodied hand. "Iris, let's that eye treated. From infection."

"But, what about the orb over there?" Iris asked.

"We'll pick up on it later. You come first." Velle said, helping her stand up.

Iris looked at the orb for a second, then back at Velle, nodding. She stood up properly, and went to the truck, and drove back to HQ.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

1 year later, day lengths: 6 hours.

"Team C6 to HQ, come in, HQ." A voice said through a radio.

"This is HQ, we hear you loud and clear." The woman said through the radio.

"We've taken a look at the abandoned Imperial bases around the desert areas, and we found an elevator that leads down deeper into the base. We're heading in to investigate."

"Copy. Watch your backs. If you find anything interesting, bring 'em here and we'll take a look at it." The woman said, then cutting off communications.

"Understood." As for "Team C6," they continued their investigation through the elevator, as they would find themselves in the same area that Noctis and the others were in before, where they found Velle. They came across the sleeping Magitek troopers, and the floors they had to go through to find him. They eventually went to the very bottom, finding the elevator that lead even deeper in the base.

They then came across the tube that Velle used to be in, then finding a body, the doctor that watched over him. "What do you think they kept in here?" The bulky hunter asked.

"Something dangerous maybe, if they kept it down here." Another hunter guessed. The hunter then came across a clip board, seeing it was a profile, on Velle. "Guys... you're gonna want to see this."

1 day later.

Velle and Iris were out gathering supplies, scavenging the lands. Any place that look abandoned or looked like it had anything valuable, they would go in and take a look. So far, they found a few crashed magitek ships that had some weapons and strange objects they figured could be of use.

Iris now started to wear armour, having a breastplate and gauntlets that went up to her shoulders, having a small shield that was holding onto her left wrist. Her hair length was the same, but it showed that it was cut recently. As for the cut that happened to her eye, it healed, but it showed.

Iris took a look around, seeing that there were claw marks around the magitek engine, thinking monsters brought it down. But what kind could have done that. She looked at the sky, seeing there were more and more clouds recently. It was still bright however. "Velle, I think we stripped this thing clean. Let's look for other ones."

Velle poked his head out from the inside of the magitek engine, showing he had a shaved beard, and his hair wasn't a spiky as it used to be. There was still some, but not as much. His coat and shirt were also stitched back together, after what Ardyn did. He nodded, stepping out of the ship. "We haven't found much have we?" Velle asked, going to the pick-up truck to only see a handful of weapons and random objects.

"It's sad to say, but we aren't finding a lot. Either that, or we just aren't looking hard enough." Iris said, crossing her arms.

"Can you think of any other places we could check?" Velle asked.

Iris thought about it for a second. "We could always ask Talcott. He knows a lot." Iris suggested.

Velle nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. "Good idea." Velle said, as he walked to the truck, and hoped in, Iris doing the same. Iris turned the key and drove back to HQ, to find and talk to Talcott.

Talcott was known for knowing a lot of information for... well, everything. Velle remembered the things Talcott told him when they were in Lestalum, and what he told to Noctis about the royal weapon.

When they arrived to the HQ, Iris and Velle got out of the truck, and looked around to find Talcott. However, they were met with a woman with beige hair, and what looked like a casual outfit. "Velle Vontta, you're coming with me for questioning."

Velle was a bit shocked to hear that. There was no warning or ever a moment where he would figure this would happen. He thought that it must be some misunderstanding, so resisting would only cause meaningless trouble. He nodded, as Iris stopped him. "What is this about?" She asked, in a demanding tone.

"I'm afraid this is between me and Velle, Iris. I'm sorry." The woman said, then walking forward with Velle.

Velle looked at Iris. "Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. We'll work this out." Velle said, with a grin.

Iris looked down for a second, and then nodded. "Okay. Just... choose your words wisely, okay?"

Velle nodded. "No problem." He then turned back to the woman and followed her to a room, where he sat down on a seat.

The woman then pulled out a clip board, and showed it to Velle. "Half-homo-sapient, half-daemon. First successful experiment of the Imperial Army. Purpose: to be the next great soldier of the Imperial Army, to wipe out his highness and anybody who stood with him. Not only that, but you have knowledge of a powerful monster that they have been after for a long time. A Top-Secret operation they had been working on, to create another powerful weapon. But we have yet to know where and what it is there after. And that's what you're going to tell us. Who you are, and what you know about that operation."

Velle was completely taken aback by this sudden accusation. He had an absolute confused look on his face. "What... the hell... are you talking about?" He asked in a tone of disbelief.

"Don't understand what I'm saying?" The woman said.

"It's not that I don't understand, it's that I have no idea what you're talking about." Velle clarified.

"Top. Secret. Operation. Involved with the Imperial Army. Ring a bell?" The woman asked.

"I..." He then held his head, as he was starting to remember again. The roars, the screams, the burning field that surrounded him. He screamed outside of his memories, holding his head with both hands. He was remembering something, but he couldn't figure out what. Velle was breathing heavily, as he looked at the woman, seeing a shocked look on her face. "Flames... screams... that's all I could see..."

The woman sighed, and then leaned on the table. "So... you remember the past, where that monster first came to this world." She theorized. "Do you have any... form or description you can give us? Did you see it in your flashback?" She asked, thinking that's what the screaming was about.

Velle didn't want to remember, but maybe remembering could actually give him an idea on what they were after. He closed his eyes and thought really hard, trying to remember. He barely saw anything, but what he could make out was a dark silhouette. Something big, and walked on four legs. But that's all he could see, and a person that stood in front of it, facing it in battle. "It... looks like it walks on four legs... and... kinda has the body of... a dog?" He said, in an unsure tone.

"Did it have three heads?" The woman asked.

"I... can't really say. During that time, I was so scared. I was surrounded by a field of flames, and... I was being carried off, by Imperial soldiers." Velle said, starting to remember more. "Then, I was taken to that prison." He added, in a tone of realization. "Yeah... it was Cerberus. That's what they were after!"

"That's not good. If they want to turn that thing into a weapon, than who knows what kind of means they'll use to do it." The woman said. "Do you have an idea on where it could be located?"

Velle shook his head. "No. I only remember they're plan, not where it was though."

The woman nodded. "I see." She then stood up properly. "I thank you, for your co-operation. With this information, you may have just saved many lives of the hunters, knowing there's a possibility that Cerberus is out there. However..." The woman sighed. "Because of what you are, an Imperial experiment, the other hunters refuse to have you here. 'He might just be in it to kill us,' they say." The woman explained.

Velle had a shocked expression on his face, thinking that all his work with them, was for nothing. Only to just be kicked out from them.

"However, I for one refuse to lose such a valuable member of the hunters. You can still work with us, however you must relocate to another area of operation. I'm sorry." The woman added to the explanation.

Velle nodded and stood up. "I understand. I have place in mind." Velle said, then walking to the door. He then looked at the woman. "And thanks, for giving me a chance to keep working for you guys." He then walked out, seeing Iris stand there.

Iris walked up to him. "Well?"

Velle looked down for a second. "I gotta go. The other hunters don't want me here."

Iris had a mix of shock and confusion on her face. "What? Why? After all you've done for them!? That's unfair!" Iris said, not really knowing the reason.

Velle shrugged. "It's just the way it has to be, Iris." He then walked past her, Iris keeping her head locked to him.

"But..." She looked down, clenching her fists. "If you go, than I'm going with you!"

Velle turned to look at her, seeing that determined look on her face. "I'm sorry, Iris. But they need you here. They need Iris the Daemon Slayer."

"I don't care for what the hell they need! You're all I have left in terms of people I actually care for! And having you leave me too... I have nobody else..." She then looked down. "Arenea and Jade are out on their own now... Talcott started doing delivery missions... all I have left is you. And if you leave... I'm just gonna be left alone again." Tears started to come from her eyes, as she sniffled. "I don't want to be left alone."

Velle felt like he was put on a tough spot now. He could bring her along, but they needed somebody strong here. To watch over them. He crossed his arms and thought about it. Should he bring her with him? Or should he leave her here? "Iris..."

Iris looked up at him, tears around her eyes. She then felt his hand gently on the back of her head, as her head was brought to his, feeling her lips make contact with Velle's lips. She blushed, her eyes open from the surprise of what he did. But, something in her felt happy, for this happening. She then felt their lips depart, as she looked at his eyes.

"They need you here more than I need you. Protect the lives of many than the lives of one." Velle said, as his hand slid off of her head. "I'll keep in touch." Velle then walked out of the HQ, now being a lone hunter.

Iris touched her lips for a second, as more tears streamed down her cheeks. "Velle..." She whispered to herself, clenching her fist.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

2 months later, Day lengths: 5 hours.

Cindy's garage, Velle's new base of operations. He was lucky Cindy was so accepting of him staying there for the reason he explained to her. Cindy understood the reason of why he was removed from there, but she just didn't think it was right just because of that. But she welcomed him to live there, at least in the rentable RV, or it used to be rentable, until it became a place or anybody to stay.

The hunters then recognized Cindy's garage as a possible safe haven from the daemons. Throughout the two months, the hunters set up a fence around the place, and had hunters stationed there for watching over the place. Of course, they were running the "Risk" of staying where Velle was, but one of the hunters was okay with being with Velle. He was aware of what he has, however he still saw him as a fellow hunter. It was thanks to this the other three hunters decided to watch over Cindy's garage with him.

It was raining heavily during the day, or at least what little day they had left. The hunters all had cover from the rain, as they walked the area, watching for anything suspicious.

Velle was assisting Cindy in some machine she as working on. From the panel that was on top of it, it seemed to be some sort of machine that worked on Solar Power. She had previously explained that she would save up what sunlight they could, having this thing store up power and use it for the inevitable time that no more sunlight would come. It may be limited, but they would need as much as they could to survive.

Cindy was standing on a ladder, the machine she was building being rather large, however not as big as her cargo truck. She could certainly carry it on her truck. "Wrench." Cindy said, putting her hand out to him.

Velle handed it to her, Cindy grabbing it and screwing in a large bolt. "I can't begin to thank you enough, Velle. You've been a great help." Cindy said.

Velle shrugged. "Just doing my part." Velle then heard the gate that was set outside open, as he turned to see who or what was being brought in. Velle walked to get a closer look, surprised to see who came in. "I'll be right back." He said to Cindy, then walked outside, getting drenched in seconds in the heavy rain. And there they were. But missing one. "Galdio... Ignis... Prompto..." Velle said, seeing the familiar bunch.

The three walked in, as Prompto looked at Velle, with a surprised expression. "Velle?" Prompto said, in a surprised tone.

Velle walked to them, and took a close look at the three again. "Are you guys okay?" He asked, wanting to make sure if they were okay. He then saw Ignis' glasses, and saw the burn across his eyes. "Ignis..."

Ignis looked down, not saying anything.

"We'll explain later. We just need a place to rest and recollect ourselves." Gladiolus explained.

Velle nodded. "The RV. You can go rest there." Velle pointed out.

Gladiolus nodded. "Thanks. And... it's good to see you again, Velle." Gladiolus said.

Velle realized that he would have to tell him about Iris, and how she is as of now. But he had a better idea. He originally was going to call Iris by phone, but he didn't have her number. And he didn't want to ask Gladiolus because he wanted it to be a surprise. He went to one of the hunters, and stood next to him. "Hey, can I borrow your radio for a second?"

The hunter looked at him and nodded, then handing it to him. "If it's for calling somebody specific, than you'll have to adjust to their radio frequency." The hunter pointed out.

Velle didn't know her frequency either. "Do you know Iris' frequency?" He asked the hunter.

The person nodded. "Yup." He then handed him a list of frequencies, of all the hunters they had. Velle traced his finger down the page to find Iris' frequency. 165.80. He adjusted it to that number, as he pressed the button, and waited for a response. He then heard noises coming from it, hearing roars and snarls. "Iris? Iris!?" Velle called out.

"Velle!? Nevermind! I need help! I'm at the lake! And daemons are after me! There's too many, I need help!" Iris said, then hearing a metal clang come from the radio.

Velle looked at the sky, and it was day. "Hang tight! I'm on my way!" Velle said, then giving the radio back to the hunter.

Velle ran to the RV, bursting through the door. "Guys! It's Iris! She's in trouble!" Velle announced to them.

Gladiolus shot up from his seat. "Iris is out there on her own!? Why aren't you with her!?" Gladiolus asked in an angered tone.

"She's changed over the years, Gladio. She can fight on her own. But she needs help now." Velle explained.

Gladiolus looked at the other two. "But how will we get there in time?" Prompto asked.

"Y'all can ride with me on the cargo truck! I'll drive y'all there!" Cindy said, standing outside of the RV, with the keys to her truck.

Velle motioned his head to the others. "Come on." He said, as they all went to Cindy's truck. Ignis sat inside with Cindy, while the other three hung onto the truck from the outside.

"So, how was Iris all these years?" Gladiolus asked, raising his voice to speak over the heavy rain.

"She's changed. At least for the better. She picked up from Arenea and now she's hunting daemons. She has experience, but she can let her emotions get in the way of things. But frankly, I'm okay with that." Velle answered.

"So she decided to fight while her big brother was gone, huh? Didn't want training from her own blood?" Gladiolus asked.

"I guess she just wanted to surprise you, you know? Impress her big brother." Velle pointed out, thinking that's why.

Gladiolus looked down for a second, really thinking about it. If if she went through all of that just to impress her brother, he could admire the determination. But maybe there was more to it than he thought.

The group arrived to the lake, Velle seeing the dark orb was letting out daemons, seeing Iris fighting them off.

"Iris!" Gladiolus shouted, as he ran for her, with his greatsword in hand. Velle, Prompto and Ignis ran with him.

Iris turned to hear that familiar voice. "Glady!?" She said, then seeing a samurai like daemon swing it's katana at her, ducking her head and slashing it's head.

Gladiolus cut right through a bomb daemon, Prompto shooting at the daemons as well. Ignis used his daggers, now using elemental infused attacks. Velle revved his great-saw and sawed one of the samurai like daemons in half. Iris swung and slashed with her spear, at any that came to them. The fight went on for a long time, but the daemons stopped coming, as the orb then disappeared. Everybody breathless, they put their weapons away, catching their breaths.

Gladiolus walked to Iris. "Iris! Are you alright!?" He asked in a worried tone. He then saw the scar across her eye. "Who did this to you!?"

Iris pushed him away. "It's nice to see you're okay too, Glady!" She said, in an annoyed tone.

"Where did you get the scar!?" Gladiolus shouted, clearly not happy about it. "And what the hell are you doing out here!?"

"Stop yelling!" She shouted back, her voice cracking.

"It was Ardyn!" Velle interrupted, Gladiolus turning to him. "Ardyn attacked us while we were on a mission. Iris was protecting me, and that's how she got the scar. But don't worry, she's okay."

Gladiolus turned to look at Iris, seeing how she looked more grown up, with her increase in height, and her change in clothing style. "Of course he'd attack the little sister."

"Glady, I'm not a kid anymore!" She said, clenching his fist. "I'm grown up now! I don't need you to defend me all the time! I can handle myself!"

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, Iris. And the fact you almost got yourself killed, it shows you aren't ready." Gladiolus said.

Iris was covered in the heavy rain, so her developing tears were hidden. Iris covered her eyes, as she started to cry. "It's just never enough for you... is it?"

Gladiolus groaned and walked away, not saying another word.

Velle watched as he walked away, then turning to Iris and gently holding her shoulders. "There's... a lot they have to explain. So, they're on edge right now." Velle said, though he didn't know the full story. "We're heading to Cindy's garage to catch up. You should tag along."

Iris looked down, then looked at Gladiolus walking away. "No matter what, it's always something bad I've done."

Velle saw the sadness in her eyes, seeing this really hurt her. Velle hugged Iris, gently rubbing her back. "There's a reason for everything." Velle said, as he then let her go. "So will you come with us?"

Iris nodded. "He may be mad at me, but it's been so long."

Velle nodded and motioned his hand. "Come on, let's go." He said, then walked along with Ignis and Prompto, then hearing Iris wince and fall to the ground, seeing her hold her left shin. Velle took Iris' arm and wrapped it around his neck, and put his other hand on her waist, to help her stand.

Iris leaned her head against his shoulder. "Thank you, Velle."

The four then returned to Cindy's garage, all heading to the RV to finally get some rest and dry up from the rain.

After a bit of silence from the group, all being in their undershirts to let their coats dry up, it was finally time to catch up.

"So... who wants to tell what happened?" Gladiolus asked Ignis and Prompto.

Ignis raised his hand. "Allow me." Ignis said, not moving his head to the other two. "His highness... is within the Crystal of Insomnia." Ignis explained, Velle not knowing what that was. "He was absorbed inside, and we have yet to understand why. Or... when... or if he'll return."

Velle didn't want to believe that's what happened, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that Ignis was lying. He looked down. "Would things have been different if I were there?"

"He did it on his own accord. And he has suffered the consequences." Ignis said simply.

"Damn..." Velle said, in a sad tone.

"I hope he does return. We need him more than ever." Prompto said, looking at his hands.

Velle looked up at them, seeing they all had mourning looks on his face. This truly was a desperate time. What could he do? What was his next move? Would the world eventually become everlasting darkness? "If you ask me, he'll come back. He has to. I doubt he'd leave us all behind."

The others looked at Velle, hearing what he said.

"I mean, if this crystal is such a good thing, than it wouldn't keep him in there forever, would it? It would probably spit him back out at some point." Velle said, letting them know his thoughts.

Prompto looked back at his hands. "I... I guess that's true. He is the king after all."

Gladiolus stood up. "Yeah, and mourning won't make him come back anytime sooner. We all know what we must do." Gladiolus announced.

Everybody looked ay Gladiolus.

"We'll give those daemon bastards all we've got. And with all of us together, they don't stand a chance." Gladiolus said. "It's what his highness would want."

Feeling... inspired, Velle stood up and looked at Gladiolus. "Count me in the fight."

Prompto stood up. "Me too. We'll give it to 'em."

Ignis didn't stand up, but he was with them. "As am I. To the very end."

Iris stood up as well. "Me too. I'm gonna stick with you guys through thick and thin." Although, she was waiting for Gladiolus to not let her join.

"Iris..." Gladiolus said, then feeling Velle's hand on his shoulder.

"Give her a chance." Velle suggested.

Gladiolus looked at Velle, and then to Iris. He looked down for a second, and then back at Iris. "Alright. I really don't want to get you hurt, but not bringing you would be a mistake." Gladiolus said.

Iris was touched to hear that. To hear praise from her big brother. She smiled, and then hugged Gladiolus tightly. "I'm so glad you guys are okay." She said.

Velle smiled, as he then looked at Prompto and Ignis, seeing them smile as well. He clapped his hands. "Now, I bet you guys are hungry." Velle said, knowing that they would be.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

3 years later, day lengths, 0 hours.

Conditions were critical now. Daemons were around every minute, they lost hunters, no daylight, and every minute out there was fighting to even breath. Anywhere and everywhere, you could find a daemon. It was hell on earth.

Velle and the others were at Cindy's garage, one of the few places left that were safe. And there weren't many left.

Velle was inside the RV, thinking about where Cerberus could be. He figured it was a long shot if he was in this place, but he wouldn't be surprise either. Maybe... he found himself here for a reason? For more than the purpose he was said to be?

Prompto walked in, with a cup of coffee in his hand, sitting in front of Velle. "Still thinking about Cerberus?" He asked.

Velle nodded. "Yeah. I... I get this feeling. Like... I'm this close to remembering where he his."

Prompto looked at his coffee, and handed it to Velle. "Here. This might help you remember." Prompto suggested.

If he did calm down a bit, maybe Velle could think more clearly. He nodded and held it, feeling it was rather hot. He took a small sip, immediately moving it from how hot it was. "Ouch..." Velle said, holding his mouth.

"Oh, sorry." Prompto apologized, even though he didn't do anything. He then took the coffee back and sipped it.

Velle touched his lip for a second, remembering the burning air when he first saw Cerberus, the flaming fields, everything. Velle sighed, scratching his head. "Man... I've just been racking my brain for so long about that. Maybe... maybe I'm wasting my energy." Velle said. "Maybe Cerberus isn't even here, you know?"

Prompto nodded. "It does make me wonder too. Would the Imperials even be able to tame that thing?" Prompto pointed out, then thinking that they would use the same method they did with Titan.

"Knowing them, they probably had it prepared before hand. And the fact that... I know where he is... I'm surprised I was never taken from you guys." Velle said.

"I guess they wanted to kill Noct first. Either that, or we're just that good at protecting each other." Prompto said, laughing a little.

It was nice to hear Prompto laugh, despite these hard times. Velle couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. I really do owe you guys for watching my back."

"And look at you now. You did fine on your own. I'd say you still would if we weren't here." Prompto complimented.

"The thought doesn't please me. I much prefer having you guys around." Velle said, looking at Prompto, his smile growing.

Prompto smiled back, and then looked at the door for a second, and then back at Velle. "So... Gladio's been theorizing about you and Iris. So... are you and her... you know, a thing?" Prompto asked.

Velle blushed, knowing this question was bound to be asked. He scratched his head. "Well... I guess we are. I... I did kiss her. But... I'm not sure if it meant anything to her."

"What makes you say it wouldn't?" Prompto asked.

"Gladio told me she has it in for Noctis. So... I guess it meant nothing to her." Velle said, his tone showing a bit of disappointment.

"I wouldn't say that." Prompto commented, Velle raising his head to him. "Iris knows it won't work out with Noctis. We went to Altissa to get him hitched with Lady Lunafreya. Iris would know it would be best to let him go."

Velle looked down for a second, Velle bringing his hands together. "You think she would?"

"Well, how did the kiss go? Did she pull away or anything?" Prompto asked, bringing it back to that.

Velle thought about it, recalling the feeling of her lips against his. "Well... it did feel like she put some involvement with it. I did feel her lips push a bit against mine."

"So, maybe she does like you. I mean, you have been with her the whole time, right?" Prompto asked.

"Perhaps it's admiration." Ignis said, walking in, with a cup of coffee himself. "She admires your determination and how you've helped her throughout all the loneliness she could have faced, had you not been there."

He could certainly see it working that way. "Maybe it's so... I guess I'm just nervous. You know, butterflies in my stomach." Velle said, laughing a bit.

"Perhaps when this is all over, you can ask her how she truly feels." Ignis suggested.

Velle looked at the two, and nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully we'll have a good relationship." Velle said, as then they heard a loud, yet low roar in the distance, as they all rushed out, to see what it was. Nothing around them. Nothing around Cindy's garage. "What was that?"

They then heard the roar again, but louder, as Velle fell to the ground, holding his head. He saw Cerberus, but at the Rock of Ravatogh. Coming out of this spot filled with lava. "Velle!?" Prompto said, holding him up by his shoulders.

Velle looked at the two. "Get Gladio and Iris. We need to move."

Everybody gathered, and got in a truck, Ignis sitting in the vehicle, as Iris drove, and Velle, Gladiolus and Prompto sat in the back. They were driving as fast as they could, while the vehicle they used had headlights that would keep daemons away.

"Are you certain Cerberus is there!?" Ignis asked, through the window.

"One hundred percent! I remember them saying it's a possible place he'd come from, since it's the only place with lava!" Velle explained.

"How are we going to kill this thing then!?" Prompto asked.

"I don't know! I'll think of something!" Velle answered.

"Chopping his head off doesn't sound easy, but I'd say it's worth a shot!" Gladiolus suggested.

"I'll keep that in mind!" Velle said, as they then made it to The Rock of Ravatogh, as they stop the vehicle, to see the living beast it's self. It's burning, red hot, three headed body. Cerberus.

Velle looked at it, as he started getting more memories, remembering it clearly now. How it fought off 9 hunters on it's own, his mother being one of them. As for his dad... no memory of him. He felt tears sting his eyes, and wiped them away.

Cerberus turned to them, as the three heads and their razor sharp teeth sneered at them, and roared.

"Come on! Let's put this puppy down!" Gladiolus said, bringing his greatsword out, as everybody else did.

Velle nodded, putting his emotions aside, and drew his great-saw, revving it. "Let's do this."

They then charged forward, to take Cerberus down. Cerberus' mouths had fire charging around them, as he launched them towards Gladiolus, Ignis and Velle. Velle saw Ignis jump high up and bring a spear to his hand, never seeing him do that before. Gladiolus blocked the ball of fire with his shield, leaving nothing on the shield, nor him. And Velle jumped to the side.

Ignis then landed on Cerberus' left head, as it then swung him back and forth, trying to get him off.

Ignis hung on as hard as he could, as Gladiolus came in and did an upper swing to the right head, causing a deep cut to the chin.

Cerberus charged fire around him, it's fires growing brighter. "Get back! He's charging a fire blast!" Gladiolus shouted, as everyone ran away to a safe distance.

The blazing fires was then unleashed around them, as they were all behind something to avoid getting burnt.

They then got out of cover and ran back to Cerberus, to continue the fight. Cerberus jumped forward, lunging it's claws at them, all of them avoiding it. Iris jumped over it and lunged her spear at the head in the middle.

Prompto then shot his pistol at the head to the left, catching Cerberus' attention. It fired three fireballs at him, Prompto jumping away. Velle jumped on Cerberus' back, and saw right into it's back, Cerberus letting out a pained roar. It then jumped high up in the air, as Velle hung onto his weapon, watching as he went higher and higher, almost higher than The Rock of Ravatogh. He then felt himself start to fall. Cerberus then moved away, Velle's hand slipping off of his great-saw.

"Crap!" Velle shouted, wondering how he was going to save himself. His daemon powers. He looked at Cerberus and used his powers to make a bigger left arm and reached for Cerberus, as he flew closer and closer. He then latched on a held his Great-saw, Cerberus landing around everybody, shaking the ground and leaving a crater under it's self.

Velle was a bit disoriented from the shock of the landing, but he pulled his great-saw out and jumped off his back, landing next to the others. "This is a tough son of a bitch!" Velle said.

Just then, a loud sniper shot was heard. They all looked back, to see Arenea and Jade. "Need a hand!?" Jade called out, pulling the bolt back and forth.

"No, we're doing just fine!" Velle replied sarcastically.

Arenea chuckled and then pulled her lance out, and ran out of the of the ship, as did Jade. Jade then found herself a distant position to shoot from, while everybody else stood their ground.

Now Cerberus had six enemies to deal with. It roared again, as it was charging up fire around it's body. It got shot in the head, it's head jerking back from recoil, as Prompto then shot it in the head too.

Ignis heard the sounds of Jade and Prompto's guns firing, then getting an idea. "I have a solution!"

Gladiolus stood next to him. "What's up?"

"We injure the heads, then we go for the killing blow. We injure the heads, Velle will handle the killing blow." Ignis explained.

"And how do we injure the heads?" Arenea pointed out.

"We hit the heads with all we've got. Gladio, Jade and you could definitely hit the heads hard." Ignis explained.

"Whatever the damn plan is! Just do it!" Velle shouted, as he was keeping Cerberus busy.

Arenea nodded and then looked at Jade. "Your time to shine!"

Jade nodded as she then put in a magazine with a red ribbon around it. She pushed the bolt forward, and moved her eye to the scope. "Just say the word."

Gladiolus and Arenea held their weapons, ready to take action.

Ignis handed Prompto a ball of magic, it being a purple colour. "We'll aim for the head on the middle." Ignis explained to Prompto, Ignis holding one that was an ice blue.

Prompto nodded and looked at Cerberus, grinning, having a good feeling this would work.

"Fire!" Ignis called out, as Jade pulled the trigger, as the bullet would make Cerberus' head jerk back from recoil, and make it step back. Gladiolus and Arenea struck the right head, Gladiolus hitting it from below and Arenea from above. Then Ignis and Prompto threw magic, and Prompto added a powerful attack, where he glowed yellow around and fired a bright yellow bullet from his pistol. "Velle! Now!"

Gladiolus put his shield up, as Velle jumped on it, and Gladiolus pushed him higher up. Velle gripped his great-saw tightly. He then came down, ready to bring the pain. His weapon was about to strike the final blow, until he saw Ardyn appear, with darkness on his arm, and slashed it on Velle. Velle covered his face, and felt the burning darkness seer his arm and a part of his face, screaming in pain and launched back, hitting the concrete ground. Velle's left arm was coated in the dark flames, as a part of his face was burning.

Ardyn laughed, as he looked at the others. "You all, make it so easy." He said, then looking at Cerberus, putting his hand forward and making Cerberus disappear.

The others were shocked to see Ardyn so easily take Cerberus for himself. Prompto fired a bullet at Ardyn, the bullet not doing anything.

Ardyn turned to Prompto. "You know very well, that it is futile." He then looked at Velle, seeing him hold the seering dark burns on his face and arm. "Oh Velle. I will admire your determination to save your friends again all odds. Fighting a myth, now that's brave. However..." He then looked at everybody. "I'll save him for a special occasion. For the King's return."

Everybody looked at Ardyn, with shocked expression. "You mean, he's coming back!?" Prompto asked.

"A shame, isn't it?" Ardyn said, it being more of a taunt. "He won't be much longer. When he does return. I'll await him in Insomnia." Ardyn said, as he began to disappear. "I'll be waiting, oh so eager." He said, then completely vanishing.

Iris ran to Velle side, looking at the burns on his arm and face, it burning skin off of him. Velle was breathing heavily, and wincing every time he did. Daemons than began to spawn around them. "We need to go! We'll take my ship!" Arenea said, as she then jumped to it, the ship coming down. Everybody got on as quick as they could, leaving the truck behind. Iris carried Velle on her back.

Iris looked at Velle's burns, feeling sick just by looking at them. "We'll get them treated. Just hang tight." She said, holding his hand.

Velle looked at Iris, and nodded, wincing. "Yeah... but let's look at what's really important..." He said, taking another pained breath. "Noctis is coming back. Looks like we might just get out of this mess after all..." Velle said, in a happy tone.

"The only question is, how long until then?" Gladiolus asked. "For all we know it could be another few years."

"We'll... just have to wait and see." Velle said, as he looked at his darkened hand, feeling pain any time he moved it.


	20. Final Chapter

Chapter 20

It had been a month, and the daemons were still spawning anywhere you could set foot on. Recovering from the dark burns, however they still showed their marks on his skin, Velle wasn't feeling the burning pain on his body anymore. Thanks to setting the A/C to cold in the RV, and putting cold wet towels on his burns, he recovered. Now recovered, he was sitting outside, watching the daemons walk by, seeing them pay no attention to them.

Iris walked to his side. "Hey, how do you feel?" Iris asked, having this temptation to hug him from behind, but not just yet. Not with everybody, Gladiolus including, being around.

Velle looked at Iris, looking at his darkened arm. "I've been better, but it doesn't hurt anymore, thanks to you."

"Well, why wouldn't I do it?" She said, smiling.

Velle thought about her smile, the same one he'd see, despite these hard times. Maybe, it was something about him that gave her the feeling to smile and mean it. Velle then saw Cindy walking about, with her phone, seeing her walk towards where they were. She put her phone away, and looked at Velle. "Talcott says he found his highness. He'll be arriving with him soon."

Velle and Iris had surprised expressions on their faces. Finally, he was coming back. Velle's surprised face grew to a smile. "That's great hear. Thank you, Cindy."

"Don't thank me, thank Talcott when he brings him.." Cindy said, then walking back to her garage. "Tell the others the news."

Velle nodded and looked at Iris. "Go tell your brother. I'll go tell the others." Velle said.

Iris nodded, as she walked off to find Gladiolus, Velle going to find Ignis and Prompto.

As everyone was told about Noctis' return, they all waited outside for him to arrive. A few minutes passed, and they saw a truck coming towards them, and watched as a much older Noctis stepped out, having hair around his jaw. Noctis walked to them, smiling. "Hey."

"Hey? After ten years that's all you have to say?" Gladiolus said.

Noctis looked down for a second. He then looked at them one at a time, seeing how they've all changed in 10 years. "It's good to see you guys again." Noctis said. "Where's Iris?"

Velle looked around, to see she wasn't there. He guessed she was shy, or it was something she was scared about. "Hold on." Velle said, thinking she went to hide in the RV. He checked, to find her in the bedroom. "Iris? Is something wrong?"

Iris looked at him, and looked down. "Nothing..."

"Iris. If nothing was wrong, you would have went to see him by now." Velle pointed out, not believing her.

Iris sighed and stood up. "I'm... just a little to see him. To him him so... different."

"Don't worry, he's okay." Velle said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "He wants to see you."

Iris blushed a bit, as she looked down, but had a smile. "Okay." She was about to walk out the door, but she looked at him. "Thanks Velle. When this is over... I have something I want to ask you." She said, then walked out.

To Noctis' surprise, he saw complete change in Iris. The outfit, her height. It was almost as if she was a different person. "Iris... you've grown so much." He commented.

Iris smiled, standing next to her brother. "Thank you... Noct. Welcome back." She said, putting her hands together.

Prompto, Ignis and Gladiolus nodded. Velle stood in the middle of them. "So... I guess this might be the last time we'll see each other, right? At least for a while." Velle said.

Noctis nodded sadly.

"I say we should catch up. One last camp fire. Together." Velle said, with a smile.

Noctis nodded again. "Yeah. Sounds great." He said, the six then had their final rest.

At that moment, Velle all sorts of emotions, something he was unfamiliar with, feeling all of them at once. Happiness, to see Noctis. Sadness, to see him go so soon. Anger, knowing all of this was because of Ardyn. Proud, for helping Iris become what she was, seeing how far they've gone. And love, for Iris, now really knowing he was.

They talked the whole time, as they had a meal, personally prepared by Iris. But the meal was everybody's favourite foods. Gladiolus had cup noodles, as odd that was. Prompto had soup, as he was very fond of soup. Ignis had Kenny crow's original recipe, it being an omelet of sorts. Noctis had a meal known as "Mother and Child Rice." It had a chicken leg in it, or chickatrice leg, egg in it, and rice. Velle had spicy skewers, something simple. And Iris just had cup noodles as well.

They first talked about Iris' growing throughout the years. How she learned to fight, who taught her, what she taught herself throughout her years of combat, what she's done, and how she earned the name, Iris the daemon slayer. Iris was enjoying the attention, and felt proud, knowing that everybody was proud of her, and happy with what she done these years.

Then it changed to the subject of Noctis, and what he had to do. He had to go back to Insomnia, face Ardyn, and reclaim his throne. He did say that after a while, they could see each other again, but it would be a while until then.

To Velle, this was such a great moment, that he would never forget it. To be together again, after 10 whole years. And the fact that he and Iris survived it all together.

It was then officially time for Noctis, Ignis Gladiolus and Prompto to go. To face Ardyn and end this nightmare.

They had a special outfit prepared for this moment, know as, "The King's Regiments,' each having one. As they put them on, they stood at the exit of the place, looking at Iris and Velle. Sadly, they couldn't go. One, is was their battle, and two, the people there would need them there. To protect them for a little longer. "Well, we'll see you guys later on."

Velle smiled and nodded. He walked to them. "Good luck guys. Show Ardyn what happens when you mess with The King." Velle said, with a grin.

"Yeah, we will." Noctis said. "And, thanks Velle. For watching over everybody while we were gone."

"Who knows where they would have been without you or Iris." Gladiolus commented, smiling.

Getting praise from them was a nice feeling. To actually be thanked for it. He smiled and nodded. "It was only the right thing to do." Velle sighed, but in a happy tone. "See you guys soon."

"Velle... Iris... Walk tall." Noctis said, as farewell. They then left, to take back home.


	21. Epilogue

Epilogue

Velle was sleeping in the RV, only to wake up to the feeling of a bring light on his face. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes, to look outside, to see sunlight. He gasped and then ran outside, to see the shining bright sun, although it hurt his eyes for a moment.

He then saw Iris looking at it, walking next to her. "So... they did it. They beat him." Velle said, in a happy tone of voice.

Iris nodded. "Yeah. We can finally live a life together with sunlight again."

Velle laughed. "We?"

Iris looked at him, with a serious expression. Velle's smile disappeared, thinking he was laughing at something serious. "Oh... sorry."

Iris then turned her body to him, and then walked in front of him. She then stood on her tip toes, and she gave Velle a long, passionate kiss on his lips. She then pulled away, and looked at him. "Velle... I love you. But... I understand if you don't want to be wit-"

Velle cut her off, putting a finger on her lips. "Don't pull that pity crap on me." He then smiled and hugged her close. "Because I love you too."

Iris blushed, and her eyes shot open wide, and her heart raced, happy to hear that. She then looked at him in the eyes. "As... happy as I am... imagine having to break that to Glady."

Velle laughed. "Don't worry, I have my way with words." He commented. "So... I guess we're a thing now?"

Iris nodded. "Yup. Velle and Iris." She said, can't help but blush at the sound of that.

Velle blushed as well. "I like the way it sounds already." He said, then pulling her in, for another passionate kiss.


	22. Secret ending

Secret ending

In the an urban city, there was a house with two stories. A 10 year old boy walked down the stairs, his white hair nearly reaching his shoulders. It seemed he was looking for something. "Mom!" He called out. "Have you seen my backpack?"

The mother came out, her brown eyes looking at the boy's brown eyes, holding his backpack. "I told you about leaving it in front of the doorway, young man." She said.

The boy looked down. "I'm sorry. I'll remember next time." He said, looking back up to be given a lunch and his bag. "Thanks mom." He said, then heading for the door. "I'll see you later."

"Have fun at school, honey." She said, in a soft motherly tone of voice.

The boy then jogged his way to school, occasionally stopping by street lights. He then made his way to school, seeing all the kids arriving. He took a deep breath as he was about to walk forward. "Umm, excuse me?" A female voice said.

The boy turned around, to see a blonde girl, and black haired boy, both looking the same age. "You're Sir Velle's son, right? Velox, right?" She asked, in a soft tone of voice.

The name revealed, Velox nodded. "Yes. Who are you guys?" He asked.

The blonde her had a gentle bow. "Solis. And this is my brother, Curae. We are happy to attend the same school as the son of the man who accompanied our father in his adventures."

Curae shrugged. "I don't really care who you are, bur you seem cool." He said, seeming to have a careless attitude.

Velox nodded, and smiled. "It's nice to meet you guys too. I wondered how Noc- uhh, his majesty's children would look like." He said, feeling his heart pound quickly, already starting to make new friends.

They then walked to school together. "So, what's it like being... royal?" Velle asked.

"It's cool. Three square meals, but I barely get time to myself." Curae said.

"They're only doing their jobs, Curae." Solis pointed out.

"I know, but you have to admit it gets annoying." Curae added.

"Here, let me change the subject." Velox said, shaking his head. "How about friends? Do you have any here?"

The boy pointed behind him, as he saw another blonde girl, and two with brown hair, one wearing glasses and the blonde having freckles. Looks like Velox had made quite special friends.

In the Citadel, where Noctis sat on his throne, Velle approached him down the hallway, smiling and bowing.

Noctis smiled. "It's good to see you again, 'Sir Velle.'" Noctis said, in a teasing tone.

"To you too, Your majesty." Velle teased back, looking at the others around him, Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus, Lunafreya not seeming to be around.

"So, what's Iris like as a mom? Is she rough like her big brother?" Noctis joked.

"She's responsible. Probably more than you." Velle joked back, seeing Noctis as a friend, rather than a royal.

Noctis actually laughed. "I'm actually really proud of you two. You guys make great parents." Noctis commented.

Velle smiled. "Thanks. That means a lot." He then had a funny thought. "You think our kids will get along?"

"Well, mine are in school. They probably met your kid by now." Noctis pointed out.

Velle nodded. "Yeah, I bet they would." Velle said, crossing his arms.

Noctis then stood up, and walked down to him, and looked at Velle. "How does being a personal body guard sound to you?" He asked out of nowhere.

Velle was surprised by this proposition, and thought about it. "Will I have time to see Iris and Velox?"

"You can head back when your duty is done for the day." Noctis explained. "It's usually just standing around me and watch out for anybody suspicious."

"Even though I'm sure you've got enough of them." Velle pointed out, the three around him.

"You can never have enough." Noctis said.

Velle figured he just wanted him around again, and Velle did want to be around these guys again. He paused for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright, I'll take guard duty."

Noctis smiled, and then summoned his sword, as he then tapped it again both shoulders. "Then from here on, you're a King's Glaive. You'll get your royal outfit soon as it's made."

Velle smiled. "Look forward to it, your Majesty." He said, gently punching his shoulder.

Another story in the books. I had a blast writing this, being able to write Iris' story, at least how I envisioned it happening. You think Square'll give Iris an emotional story? One that we'll never forget? Or will the completely butcher it? I guess we'll have to wait and see.


End file.
